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FSL/CARS Report May 25, 2017
The FSL and CARS Team 2016-17
Cally Stranquist Trish Kelts
Lorna Schilling Penny Dahl
Deanna Bartlett Penny Warford
Jo-Ann Lane Cherisse Churchill
Chanel Annable Kelsey Bissett
Introduction:
The 2016-17 year has brought about multiple changes for the FSL/CARS Team over the
course of the school year, including, but not limited to;
● Staff Reallocation,
● Budget Reductions and Adjustments,
● Accomplishments,
● Professional Development Opportunities;
○ FSL/CARS Staff
○ Clearview Staff
○ Clinical Director
● Statistics/Data.
Staff Reallocation:
In January, 2017, the CARS (Children & Adolescents being Resilient & Self-regulation) Mental
Health Program along with the Family School Liaison (FSL) Program underwent staffing
reallocation. This involved several staffing movements, the most significant being the
hiring of Penny Warford as the full-time mental health program coordinator as well as the
hiring of Cherisse Churchill as the full-time mental health social wellness coach. Cherisse,
as of March 24, 2017 has taken a maternity leave and welcomed a new baby boy. To help
cover this maternity leave, Kelsey Bissett was hired in her place (please see appendix A &
Appendix B).
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As a result of the Mental Health Capacity Building (MHCB) Policy change to have at least two
full time personnel in positions, alterations to program delivery needed to occur.
Specifically, the two full-time CARS positions for Penny and Kelsey are only able to provide
universal programming which entails these two staff members providing prevention and
promotion programming.
In the past, CARS personnel were able to not only provide universal programming
(presentation, group work, community awareness), but they were also able to provide
one-on-one counselling. That change occurred on January 1, 2017.
As a result, each school continues to receive mental health and one-on-one counselling
programming but presented in a different format. For example, Erskine school used to
have an Family School Liaison (FSL) counsellor 2 days per week. This person was able to
provide one-on-one counselling, group work and classroom presentations, etc. Erskine still
receives two days per week, however, only one day is scheduled for FSL one-on-one
counselling and the other day is to address the CARS Mental Health Initiative completing
group work, classroom presentations and curriculum run programs.
Budget Reductions:
In conjunction to staff reallocation, budget reductions also presented themselves as a
challenge. This occurred when RCSD cut the FSL portion of their budget supporting FSL
Programming by 30%. To help maintain programming needs we requested financial
support from inclusive education to help balance the budget. All leadership team members
are aware and fully support the need for FSL Programming in their schools.
Accomplishments:
Several accomplishments were also achieved in the division during this school year. One of
the biggest accomplishments was probably the programming of mental health activities
which occurred during Mental Health Week (May 1-7, 2017).
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This included, but was not limited to the following; Let’s Chalk About It, Operation Beautiful,
Friendship Bench, Student Appreciation BBQ, Green T-shirt Day, Hats On for Mental Health,
Stop! Drop! And Dance!, WEH Wellness Fair, and to wrap-up the week there was a free
access to staff, parents and students for Paper Tigers Documentary at the Jewel Theater,
and the Inside-Out Movie at the Jewel Theater along with student activities.
Here are some examples;
Green T-Shirt Day: Students and staff displayed emerald green t-shirts which read
“1-in-5” across the front stenciled over a Canadian flag to visually represents how
many Canadians are affected by Mental Illness. That’s 150 students in W. E. Hay.
Stettler Secondary Campus (WEHSSC) that may be impacted.
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Friendship Bench:
Two benches were painted by Youth Cultural Ambassador Training (YCAT) and the
School Culture group. These benches serve as permanent, physical, and year-round
reminders to students to take a moment out of their day to sit, breathe, and talk
(or think) about their mental health and that of their friends. It’s intended to inspire
peer-to-peer conversations about mental health in order to reduce the stigma and
encourage more students to seek help. Simple acts of kindness carry a lot of weight
(#yellowforhello).
Pictured above are Madison Bauman (L) and Abby Spencer (R).
Online Student referral:
In early spring, the online referral process was launched for students, teachers and
parents. It is currently on our Clearview site with plans of implementing it on each
school webpage.
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Jewel Theater Mental Health Literacy Promotion/Awareness Promo:
In the fall, 2016, with the great assistance of Sarah Rose (theater manager) a
mental health awareness promo on stigma was developed to be presented before
the showing of the movies.
Jewel Theater - Mental Health Week:
Parents and students were given a special treat of seeing the movie ‘Inside Out’ for
free, along with a presentation on how the characters in the movie use various
self-regulation techniques.
Staff were given the opportunity to attend this free documentary at the Jewel
theater which presented on Adverse Childhood Experiences (A.C.E.)
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Stettler Recreation Centre - Stigma Awareness Promotion:
In the fall of 2016, the Stettler Recreation Centre posted several different slides on
their screen which is situated at their driveway alerting passers by of Mental Health
Awareness and Stigma.
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Red Deer and Stettler Articles:
Article as it appeared in the Red Deer Advocate.
Clearview Schools mental wellness coaching helps kids do well “Our brain and our body are connected”
MARY-ANN BARR
Thu Apr 20th, 2017 1:00pm
NEWS ● ●
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A program that has been running in the Clearview Public Schools division for a decade helps to promote mental health in children so they will do well in school. Penny Warford, Mental Health Program Coordinator for CARS program (Children and Adolescents Resilient and Self-regulating), says the best way to describe it is prevention, and promotion of mental health. “We need to look after social emotional health for kids to learn. This is really the best way to reach the most kids — is to access them in the schools. This is when we can probably have the biggest preventative impact,” said Warford, who is based in Stettler and a registered social worker.
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CARS is part of Alberta Health Services’ Mental Health Capacity Building in Schools initiative. While it’s funded by AHS, the school district administers it. It not only aims to promote mental health in children and youth, but also in families and support individuals in the community who interact with young people. The program has one full time and two part-time mental health success coaches. Recently Kelsey Bissett was hired as the full-time coach covering a one-year leave of absence. They do a lot of work with groups, around such subjects as grief, social skills, anger management, coping skills, dealing with feelings, and a lot of classroom presentations as well, said Warford. There are 37 such projects in 85 communities and 182 schools, with an outreach to 74 additional schools, throughout Alberta. While mental health issues over the decades may be similar, the one thing that is different today is the social media factor, Warford said. It changes the social atmosphere, and makes the world more global. There are positives and negatives, she said, adding that whatever is happening, with social media it is happening all the time, and there aren’t as many breaks, whether it’s from social, academic or any other aspects of life. CARS helps with school and mental wellness by promoting resiliency — overcoming challenges and “bouncing back, and self-regulation — learning skills to help stay calmly focused to get through the ups and downs of life. It’s about being able to “manage and cope with not everything being easy because not everything is easy,” she said. Warford believes students today understand the importance of mental health. “It’s not just eating healthy and exercising, those basic physical needs. Our brain and our body are connected. I say that probably several times a week.” With Mental Health Week coming up from May 1 to 7, a number of additional activities are planned in Clearview and East Central Catholic Schools. During the week, some of CARS activities will include “Chalk About It”, where students write positive mental health messages on sidewalks, and a free matinee on May 5 at the Jewel Theatre, showing the movie Inside Out. [email protected]
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Kelsey Bissett joins Clearview as mental health success coach
Kelsey Bissett joins as the mental health success coach for Clearview Public Schools, covering a one-year leave of absence.
— Image Credit: Contributed Photo
by Moush Sara John - Stettler Independent
posted Apr 13, 2017 at 3:00 PM— updated Apr 13, 2017 at 4:24 PM
Clearview Public Schools has welcomed Kelsey Bissett as the mental health success coach covering a one-year leave of absence for the organization. Bissett will be joining under the supervision of Clinical Director Don Porter, and will deliver programs to students, parents and school staff to increase knowledge pertaining to all aspects of mental health and wellness.
Having recently graduated from Athabasca University, majoring in psychology, Bissett brings a wealth of current knowledge about the field and will be working closely with Porter to deliver programs to all schools under Clearview. Bissett was born and raised in Stettler and loves the outdoors, often hiking, fishing and camping in her free time. Well travelled, Bissett has spent time in Peru, Iceland and Australia among other countries.
“Having Kelsey join our team will be a huge asset to the communities and school settings,” said Porter. “She brings a wealth of mental health program knowledge and experience, as well as being very personable and easy to engage.”
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Stettler Elementary and Wm. E. Hay raise mental health awareness
Stettler Elementary School students Rylan Payne, 6, and Eva Diegel, 6, help with the recycling while wearing their green shirts for mental health week. — Image Credit: Casey Van Wensem/Stettler Independent. posted May 11, 2017 at 12:00 AM
Various community organizations raised mental health awareness during Mental Health Week from May 1 to 7, with Stettler Elementary School (SES) and Wm. E. Hay having activities all throughout the week.
On Monday, May 1, SES students participated in “Chalk About It,” an event spearheaded by the high school YCAT team. The students were encouraged to write positive messages about mental wellness on the sidewalks around the school.
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“Hats On for Mental Health Day” was hosted on Wednesday, May 3, where students were asked to wear hats to support the cause. They also participated in “Stop, Drop, and Dance” to “get loud” for mental health. Music was played briefly over the intercom at random times throughout the day for a60-second dance party.
All SES students were asked to wear green on Thursday, May 4 to support mental health initiatives and reduce stigma around mental illness.
The week culminated into a matinee movie “Inside Out” at the Jewel Theatre. Children’s activities were available before the movie starting at 1 p.m. It was a great teaching tool for talking to your kids about emotions and coping skills.
For the high school students at Wm. E. Hay, the week started with “friendship benches.” Two benches were painted by YCAT and the School Culture group.
“These benches will serve as permanent, physical, and year-round reminders to students to take a moment out of their day to sit, breathe, and talk or think about their mental health and that of their friends,” said Penny Warford, Mental Health Program Coordinator of Children and Adolescents Resilient and Self-regulating (CARS) program. “They are intended to inspire peer-to-peer conversations about mental health in order to reduce the stigma and encourage more students to seek help. Simple acts of kindness carry a lot of weight.”
On Wednesday, May 3, it was “Hats On for Mental Health Day,” followed by the “1 in 5 Campaign.”Emerald green t-shirts reading 1-in-5 across the front to visually represent how many Canadians are affected by mental illness.
That’s 150 students in the high school that may be impacted.
“Thank you to Madison Bauman for her contribution to this endeavour, and to those who sponsored the t-shirts, including the Students’ Union, Town of Stettler board members, and the CARS program,”Warford said.
For Wm. E. Hay students, there were more presentations, with the week ending in a wellness showcase on Thursday early evening, May 4.
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FSL/CARS Professional Development:
Several staff participated in various professional development opportunities throughout
the school year.
Mind-Up:
● Several FSL/CARs staff participated in a one-day training session around the
Mind-Up curriculum. This program is a comprehensive, classroom tested, evidence
based curriculum framed around 15 easily implemented lessons that foster social
and emotional awareness, enhance psychological well-being, and promote
academic success.
Self-Regulation and Mental Health:
● In the fall, several staff members were enrolled in the one-day training session in
Red Deer which focused on self-regulation and mental health in children and youth.
This training help staff explore new understandings of the brain, stress and
self-regulation with practical implications for practice in the schools.
Self-Regulation in the Early Years
● Same as above, with a primary focus of children in the early years (from birth to 8
years-of-age).
Kimochi’s ("having good life force, having good energy")
● A social-emotional classroom run program that teaches children, from K - Grade 5,
skills in developing and enhancing social-emotional learning skills. Two kits were
purchased.
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Circle of Security:
● In June, several staff members will participate in the ‘Circle of Security’ training
session. This will be a 4-day course training our FSL/CARS staff to uses the
eight-chapter DVD or streaming video series to educate parents and caregivers in
helping raise their children using nurturing techniques to enhance a child and
parent giver’s attachment, emotional resilience and freedom to explore.
Books for FSL/CARS staff:
● Seigel, Daniel, Dr. (2015): Brainstorm. The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain.
● Seigal, Daniel, Dr. & Bryson, Tina, PH.D (2015): The Whole-Brain Child Workbook.
Practical Exercises, Worksheets and Activities to Nurture Developing Minds.
● Seigal, Daniel, Dr. & Bryson, Tina, PH.D (2014): No-Drama Discipline. The
Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture your Child’s Development Mind.
● Seigal, Daniel, Dr. & Bryson, Tina, PH.D (2012): The Whole-Brain Child. 12
Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture your Child’s Developing Mind.
Office Supplies:
● Budgeting also allowed us to upgrade staff in several technical areas. This included
the purchase of much needed 6 new laptops, 2 new iphones, and one laser printer.
Further supplies purchased by staff related to mindfulness psychology.
Clearview Staff Educational Development:
Teen Mental Health & Go-to-Educator:
● Throughout the course of the year, the student services teachers received training in
the Teen Mental Health High School Curriculum and the Go-to-Educator. This is an
evidence based mental health curriculum resource that has been demonstrated to
improve both teachers and students mental health literacy through usual teacher
education and application in the classroom in a variety of program evaluations and
research studies in Canada and elsewhere.
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Bus Drivers/Custodians:
● Over the course of the year, mental health seminars and presentations have been
provided to the bus drivers and custodians. Topics of included; Relationships and
Self-Help Mental Health.
New Teacher Orientation:
● A presentation was given to the new teachers of Clearview, along with their mentor,
on the topic of Mental Health Literacy.
Educational Assistants:
● On two occasions, (once at Gus Wetter and once at W.E. Hay) educational assistants
were provided training sessions by FSL’s, CARS Program, Clinical Director, Inclusive
Education Director, Deputy Superintendent and Superintendent.
● In fact, during the division wide professional development in February, the
educational assistants had the opportunity to pick-and-choose the topic of choice.
Some of the topics included;
❏ Supports for Diverse Sexual and Gender Identities.
❏ Autism and FSAD
❏ ADHD and Comorbidity
❏ Working Memory - Is it Real or a Made-Up Thing?
❏ Zones of Regulation in the Classroom
❏ Mindfulness Learning
❏ Anxiety in the Classroom
❏ What is a Specific Learning Disorder?
❏ How to Care for Yourself While caring for Your Students
❏ Brain Architecture Game
❏ Mood Disorders and Strategies
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Mental Health First Aid (MHFA):
● This spring brought the first, in a series, of Mental Health First Aid training session
being offered to the staff of Clearview Public Schools and also to those within our
communities. Mental Health First Aid is the help provided to a person developing a
mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. Just like physical first
aid is provided until medical treatment can be obtained, MHFA is given until
appropriate support is found or until the crisis is resolved.
Clinical Director Professional Development:
Violent Threat Risk Assessment (VTRA) training:
● Clinical Director took part in Level 1 and Level 2 training. These are a
comprehensive skill-based trainings structured for professionals in school
jurisdictions and community systems (school principals, police, student services
coordinators, therapists, etc.) who are, or will be, conducting the actual visual
threat/risk assessments.
Violent Threat Risk Assessment (VTRA) Conference:
● Inclusive Education Director and Clinical Director took part in the 3rd annual
conference. At the conference the new manuals were presented which now include
different assessment strategies and the inclusion of trauma response interventions.
Books purchased to help support ‘VTRA Training’:
● Tafrate & Mitchell (2014): Forensic CBT. A Handbook for Clinical Practice.
● Critical Incident Response Group: The School Shooter. A Threat Assessment
Perspective.
● Dreal, John (2011): Assessing Student Threats. A Handbook for Implementing The
Saler-Keizer System.
● Mills, Kroner & Morgan (2011): Clinician’s Guide to Violence Risk Assessment.
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Books purchased to help support therapy with students/families:
● Mueser, Rosenberg & Rosenberg, (2009): Treatment of Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder in Special Populations.
● Cresswell, Parkinson, Thirlwall & Willetts (2017): Parent-Led CBT for Child Anxiety.
Psych-Educational Training:
● Clinical Director partook in advanced educational training involving the
"Assessment of Children's Behavioural, Clinical, and Social Functioning”. This
training assists with improving skills and techniques when conducting psych-ed
assessments.
Statistics/Data:
● Data collected over the months of December/January/February indicated that our
one-on-one counselling numbers were at 245 for the division and 138 for one-time
consults/walk-ins. The group work and prevention/promotion totals were at 1360.
● Reviewing the Primary Issues section indicated the highest referral concerns being
received about student focused around peer relations, self-esteem, anxiety and
grief/loss.
● Primary referral concerns in the Family & School issues section indicated the highest
elevations in the domains involving family conflict and separation/divorce.
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Appendix A:
Clearview Spotlight December 19, 2016
Mental Health Initiative welcomes new supports for students The Board Of Trustees is pleased to announce the appointment of Penny Warford as the new Mental Health Program Coordinator and Cherisse Churchill as the new Mental Health Success Coach, starting January 1, 2017. Both Penny and Cherisse are currently Family School Liaison staff in our schools. The new mental health positions are part of the Children and Adolescents being Resilient and Self-Regulating (CARS) program.
Penny (picture top left) graduated from Augustana University College in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a major in Psychology and minoring in Crime and Community. Penny is currently enrolled in a Master’s Program through the University of Calgary in Interdisciplinary Studies.
Penny has extensive history and experience as a Family School Liaison Worker. Most of her work experience has been with Clearview Public Schools, starting as a Family School Liaison Worker for several county schools, then going to Stettler Middle School and Wm. E. Hay Stettler Secondary Campus.
Penny has spent her entire life in Central Alberta. She grew up near Tees, and moved to a farm near Alix where she now resides with her husband, Hunter, and her two children, Hannah (12) and Coty (9). “I lucked out as they all share my love of camping and fishing.”
Penny states, “I love working with students, and I believe all kids have potential. I want all kids to have a place they feel they belong, have access to the supports they need, and the knowledge/tools to be successful in whatever path they choose.
“I think Dr. Seuss was brilliant, and my approach to my own life and in working with students is reflected in my favourite Dr. Seuss quote:”
“I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!”
Cherisse Churchill (pictured bottom left) will also start her new position as Mental Health Success Coach in January. Cherisse graduated from MacEwan University with a Bachelor Degree in Child and Youth Care. She has been with Clearview since starting her practicum in April 2012 at the Stettler Outreach School. Cherisse has experience working in several areas involving mental health capacity building (i.e.) one-on-one counselling, group work and also mental health prevention and promotion.
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Cherisse resides with her fiance, Guy, in the Castor area. Cherisse and Guy are expecting their first child in April.
Appendix B:
Clearview #CSD71 welcomes a new member to our mental health team.
Clearview welcomes Kelsey Bissett as the Mental Health Success Coach for Clearview Public Schools covering a one year leave of absence. Under the supervision of the Clinical Director, Kelsey will deliver programs to students, parents and school staff to increase knowledge pertaining to all aspects of mental health and wellness.
Kelsey recently graduated from Athabasca University majoring in Psychology. She was born and raised in Stettler. Kelsey likes spending her free time outdoors hiking, fishing and camping. She also enjoys travelling and has spent time in Peru, Iceland,
Australia, and more. “Having Kelsey join our team will be a huge asset to the communities and school settings.” said Don Porter, Clinical Director. “She brings a wealth of mental health program knowledge and experience, as well as being very personable and easy to engage.”
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Appendix C: FSL DATA Collection (December/January/February-2016/17):
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