It was a day long symposium to try and help students with mental health issues in schools.
The Bluewater District School Board put on the full day meeting yesterday at the CAW Family Education Centre in Port Elgin.
School administrators, teachers and community members were in attendance to take part in the ten different workshops with community partners such as Grey Bruce Health Services and Keystone Child Family and Youth Services.
The workshops included: self regulation autism, anger management, depression and suicide and Attention Deficit Disorder.
The keynote speaker of the symposium was Dr. Ian Manion.
He is the Director of Operations at the Centre of Excellence for Youth Mental Health at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.
Dr. Manion says he was there to speak about the importance of the link between education and mental health, saying it’s impossible to have one without the other.
Dr. Manion says he takes something away from every community he speaks and meets incredible people along the way.
Dr. Manion says he knows the Bluewater District School Board is a hidden gem as many school boards in the province and even in the country look towards the Board and their methods on how they break the barriers on education and mental health.
Dr. Manion says he hopes his speech will get across the message that individually everyone has a role in promoting mental health.
Dr. Manion says as well he hopes those in attendance will help create a community to look at the entire needs of a child and how the education needs are enhanced by looking at the mental health needs as well as the general health needs.
Superintendent of Student Services, Lori Wilder says it’s often people look at physical illness and mental health differently and hopes the teachers will leave knowing the understanding that mental health should get the same respect and consideration as those with physical illness.
Wilder says if teachers can grasp that understanding and help support students in the classrom so they can learn would be great.
Area Resource Teacher Hugh Morrison says the message from the workshops for teachers is not to be afraid with the issues they have to face but to know they have the skills to deal with it.
Morrison adds the Board is very thankful of the community partners who put on the workshops and knows everyone will take some valuable lessons away from it.
