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Anxiety and Mental Health Resources for Families

Anxiety and mental health impact the education of children and youth. It can cause distraction, irritability or sleep issues, as well as obsessive or avoidant tenancies among other challenges.  If your student is experiencing challenges, please speak to your teacher or GA and they will work to connect you to appropriate supports within HCOS - whether it be resources, learning groups like Hello Anxiety, or You can also complete our Learning Support Request form if you wish to share more details with your teacher.  

 

come along side our students and families to support mental heath.  supports are available publicly and through HCOS Learning Commons.  HCOS lease speak to your teacher or GA if  

It is normal for students to demonstrate developmentally appropriate symptoms of anxiety or to be anxious in response to certain situations or anticipated future threats.  A good article to help differentiate between the two is: Understood: The Difference Between Typical Anxiety and an Anxiety Problem

Understanding Anxiety Webinar for HCOS parents by Julie Bohni (Counsellor)

Wired for Connection Webinar for HCOS parents by Julie Bohni (Counsellor)

Resource Websites:

Talk to a Person 
  • BC Helpline for Children 24-hour helpline for all BC youth 310-1234 (no area code needed)
  • FoundryBC on Anxiety
  • START - Short Term Assessment Response Treatment - Fraser Valley
  • Interior Health Crisis Line (for anyone)  1-888-353-2273
  •  
Free Counselling

Courses for Kids on Managing their Anxiety

Treatment Options & Strategies for Anxiety:

HCOS Learning Commons Books and Book Packs on Anxiety:

Curated list of Anxiety and Worry resources on SORA - digital books, audio books

  • Why Smart Kids Worry and What Parents can do to Help by Allison Edwards 
  • Understanding Intense Emotions and Strong Feelings Pack
  • Helping your Anxious child & Squirmy Wormy Pack
  • My Feelings Game
  • Taming the Worry Dragons for Teens
  • The Explosive child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children
  • Taming Worry Dragons Kit
  • Freeing your child From Anxiety Pack
  • Turnaround: Turning Fear Into Freedom
  • Anger and Anxiety Management Kit
  • No More Meltdowns Pack 
  • Rosie's Brain 
  • Ish by Peter H Reynolds
  • Frankie Rides a Bike by Paulette Bourgeois
  • The things Lou Couldn’t Do by Ashly Spires
  • Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
  • Wilma Jean the Worry Machine by Julia Cook
  • David and the Worry Beast by Anne Marie Guanci
  • When My Worries Get Too Big by Kari dunn Buron (uses 5 point scale)
  • What to Do When You Worry Too Much by Dawn Huebner
  • What to Do When You're Scared and Worried by James J. Crist
  • Stress can Really Get on your Nerves by Trevor Romain
  • Workbooks:
    • I Feel Worried by Nadine Briggs and Donna Shea
    • Coping Skills for Kids Workbook by Janine Halloran

Tools to Relax, Manage Anxiety, Get Grounded

  • Tips to create a lower stress home
  • Tips to build a bedtime routine
  • Tips to build resilience
  • 5 senses:
    • Look at something - Be present
    • Feel something -
      • Squeeze your arms (deep pressure)
      • Cross your arms and tap them, 
      • Use your tongue to put pressure on the roof of your mouth, hum, sing, have a hot cup of tea, or a very cold drink
      • Progressive muscle relaxation - tighten muscles, hold and release
    • Smell something - Aromatherapy, essential oils
    • Taste something - an orange tic tac, a mint, food - slow down and be intentional when eating
    • Listen to something - music, particularly in the 70-90 beats a minute range
  • Name 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 
    • 5 things you can see, 4 you can hear, 3 you can feel, 2 you can smell, 1 you can taste
  • Create a sense of power and control
    • "I can choose when to wake up, what to eat, how to exercise, to feel competent"
  • General
    • Continue to have or build a structure, routine
    • Limit intake of [negative] information
    • Pray, read your Bible, ground, breathe
    • Build skill/competence
    • Connect with others, yourself, God
    • Exercise
    •  Be in nature
    • Take thoughts captive - "Right now..." rather than "What if..."
    • Breath: Belly Breath with Elmo; Bubbles with Fish, Mindful breathing,Cocoa Breathing
    • Toss a ball between two people is co-regulating and access the parasympathetic system

HCOS Publications on Mental Health:

6 minute video about Anxiety by Marcia Mishchenko, LS consultant

When Anxiety/Mental Health is related to Learning Disabilities

When it is more than Anxiety

The goal at HCOS is to promote healthy development, prevent disorders and provide treatment to those children with disorders. (Child and Youth Mental Disorders: Prevalence and Evidence-Based Intervention, pg 11)

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Self-Care 

Starting with yourself. What are you modelling?

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