Over the next three years — the province is going to focus on developing children’s mental health strategies and the Bruce Grey Catholic School Board welcomes the news.
Superintendent of Education Catherine Montreuil is pleased the province is coming out with a new strategy to support children and teens with mental health problems.
She believes mental health issues are very real among young people and need to be addressed in our schools.
Research indicates that anywhere between 20 to 40 per cent of children and youth have some form of mental health issue.
That equates to somewhere between two and four students per classroom suffering with some form mental health problem.
As part of the province’s initiative, Montreuil says the board will receive additional resources through Keystone Child and Youth Family Services.
Montreuil adds removing the stigma of mental health may be one of the biggest obstacles.
She says schools will adopt a new form of mental health language and strategies to deal with the issue.
Staff will also receive ‘mental first aid training to help them better identify struggling students and equip them with the skills they need to reach out to those students.
Mental health issues cover a very wide spectrum — from anxiety and eating disorders to depression, addictions and even suicide.
