anna.aquila@burnabyschools.ca

Category: Community Resources

Digital Literacy with Family Smart

Hello Families,

Today I want to share information about an organization called Family Smart. It’s an organization that supports child and youth mental health and helps families by providing support  in connecting families to resources and services.

Every month, they facilitate presentations called “In the Know,” on a variety of topics presented by experts in the area. See the latest video called, “A Conversation for Families about Digital Wellbeing and Mental Health.”

Summary of the presentation:

As parents, we struggle with balancing our children’s time spent in the digital world and what we consider the real world. It’s not easy to know how much time on technology is too much and how to set boundaries that don’t create conflict. Join us for a conversation with a digital wellbeing expert to learn some practical solutions to our everyday concerns and challenges around our kids’ use of screens and their mental health.

Dr. Kristy Goodwin, Digital Wellbeing and Productivity Researcher, Speaker, Author and Consultant.

Victoria Keddis, FamilySmart Practice Manager & Facilitator

 

https://familysmart.ca/

Mental Health Week May 4-10

Mental Health week in Canada was created to bring awareness and acknowledgement of the thousands of children, youth and families needing mental health support.

In classrooms, to help students understand mental health, I tell them that all of us have mental health, just like physical health. It’s the way the brain reacts to everyday life events. Therefore, it is a priority to take care of the health of our minds so that we can adapt to the challenges that life presents to us no matter how big or small they may be.

 

Dr. Stan Kutcher is the leading professional in the field of mental health. He is a Senator, psychiatrist and professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In the clip below, he explains that we all have mental health.

In this next clip,  Dr. Stan Kutcher explains the difference between and stress and mental illness.

 

These are a few resources to support positive mental health:

This is the Healthy Mind Platter developed by David Rock and Dr. Dan Seigel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Toolkit for healthy living and healthy minds from Keltly Mental Health.

The Mindshift app is developed by Anxiety Canada and it is free to download. Users have access to a thought journal, coping cards, chill zone and other tools to cope with stress and/or anxiety.

https://www.anxietycanada.com/resources/mindshift-cbt/

The HealthyMinds free app is for youth and adults. The user has access to tools, information and it helps track emotions,

If you want more information about mental health click links below: