Parent Blog

This week, 18 Self-Esteem Worksheets and Activities for Teens and Adults This is also a great website with tons of resources in terms of activities, strategies and research in the field of Positive Psychology. Stay safe, stay healthy!

Hello, I hope you are staying safe and healthy. As this situation continues, here is an article by Alberta Health to help teens to adapt to our "New Normal" Helping Teens Adapt to the New Normal

Hello, I hope you are well and safe. This week the focus is on tools to support wellness. You will find: mindful colouring pages, ideas for a gratitude journal and a printable gratitude journal as well. mindful colouring booklet gratitude journal prompts gratitude journal for kids

This is a great resource that can be used by all. It has a self-assessment, good ideas for self-care and a simple way to create a plan. There is also an extensive list of  national and provincial resources. I hope you will find it useful. Stay safe and healthy! The Working Mind COVID 19 Self-Care and Resilience Guide

Hello, I hope you are doing well and staying safe. This document by AHS offers ideas and info on Social, Physical, Emotional, Intellectual and Spiritual Wellness. Great ideas for the family, I hope you will find it useful. Coping at Home for Families

Here is an article by the Canadian Paediatric Society regarding supporting youth with anxiety disorders during the pandemic. Supporting youth with anxiety during COVID-19

Greetings, I hope you are doing well. Thank you for those who have reached out for support or a to give me quick update. I imagine many of you are "overloading" with information, communications, emails, phone calls and managing as best as you can. It's really important you take some time for you as well. Here are 2 articles/fact sheets from the Canadian Psychological Association on COVID-19. They are quite concise and practical. I hope you will find them useful. Stay safe and healthy! Helping Teens Cope with the Impacts of and Restrictions Related to COVID-19 Psychological Impacts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Hello, I hope you are doing well. These can be difficult times for families. I invite you to email me if you have concerns about your child's wellness if you need resources or need to connect to services. Please note that resources posted in the previous post for counselling are still available and that the supports are done through phone sessions. Warm regards, Andréanne maplante@cbe.ab.ca

Student Services and Mental Health Resources Student Services will continue to be available to students requiring support. Starting March 30, please email me at maplante@cbe.ab.ca to communicate by email. Here are some resources to support our students and families with mental health resources in the community. Please follow the links provided below. Calgary Community Resources for Mental Health Counselling and Supports: Kids Help Phone:  you can text, phone, live chat or find resources at: kidshelpphone.ca/ Access Mental Health for Adolescents:  free, short term mental health supports and resources available at: albertahealthservices.ca/services/page11443.aspx Distress Centre:  24 hour crisis support, free crisis counselling, peer support, community resources at: distresscentre.com/ Eastside Family Centre:  normally walk in counselling available but currently offering phone or e-therapy at:  woodshomes.ca/programs/eastside-family-ce...

These can be stressful times for anyone. Here are some resources to support you in talking with your child (children) about COVID-19. We hope your will find them useful. We hope you are doing well and staying healthy! Talking to Children about COVID-19 Helping children cope with stress during the 2019-COVID-19 outbreak COVID Social Stories for Children General Principles for Talking to Children About COVID-19

Two topics this week: how to talk to kids about the Corona Virus and Understanding ADHD, info. for parents (behaviour strategies, parenting tips, problem solving...) How to talk to kids about the Corona Virus Understanding ADHD - Info for parents

This week is about friendships which can play a key role in your child's life. Below, you will find 3 articles on the topic. I hope you will find them useful! What parents can do to support friendships Teenage friendships Help kids cope with social exclusion and friendships

This week, 7 keys to handle a difficult teenager. This is useful in general regardless if your teen is difficult or not, the teenage years can be confusing and frustrating as adult. We try, sometimes we  stumble and try again.  7 keys to handle difficult teenagers  

 A lot of children experience anxiety. How to support them and finding the right balance can be tricky. Here is an article on 5 ways caring parents make teen anxiety worse (not a fan of the title but the info is relevant). 5 Ways Caring Parent Make Teen Anxiety Worse

This week I’ve attached a guide on digital citizenship taken from the MediaSmarts website. You can quickly scroll to the sections of interest to you. It addresses a number of topics such as: how to talk about drama and healthy relationships, cyber safety, digital footprint… It is a good guide on how to have these conversations with your child and when/how to intervene. Digital Citizenship

This is a link about depression but the whole site is full of resources for teen wellness, it is worthwhile exploring. http://teenmentalhealth.org/learn/mental-disorders/depression/ This link is information for parents on LGBTQ teens https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/teen/dating-sex/Pages/Four-Stages-of-Coming-Out.aspx

This week we have some printables on building resiliency, an example of a gratitude journal, and challenging negative thoughts. I've noticed that a lot of people like worksheets and quick reference resources. Resilience Challenging negative thoughts Gratitude journal

The purpose of this blog is to support students and parents. I share what I think might be useful based on experience and common requests/issues that come up regularly in our school context - whether it comes from students, parents or teachers. Please feel free to communicate with me to let me know how or what could be useful to you. I will continue to post and would love to have your input. This week: 5 ways to make teens feel good about themselves

This week: An article on self-compassion vs self-esteem, an information session re parent involvement in student counselling and printables on well being and thinking errors. This is a very interesting article on self-compassion vs self-esteem, important to understand especially for teens who tend to compare themselves to others in a negative way Why We Should Stop Chasing Self-Esteem and Start Developing Self-Compassion: https://self-compassion.org/why-we-should-stop-chasing-self-esteem-and-start-developing-self-compassion/ Free session on parent involvement in student counselling Nov. 26th at Western Canada High School (click on link): Parent involvement in student counselling Here are some printable documents on thinking errors and well being, particularly relevant for the anxious mind: Positive Steps to Well being Unhelpful Thinking Habits with Alternatives Unhelpful Thinking Styles

This week: the Benefits of ADHD, Growth Mindset and Study Skills The Benefits of ADHD https://www.healthline.com/health/adhd/benefits-of-adhd#1 Growth Mindset for Kids and Teenagers – many good resources and activities – Some free resources and printable. https://biglifejournal.com/blogs/blog Study Skills for Students https://www.educationcorner.com/study-skills.html