Mental Illness Awareness Week & World Mental Health Day: supports and resources
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This week, Surrey Schools is recognizing both Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW, Oct. 5 to 11) and World Mental Health Day (WMHD, Oct. 10) by highlighting numerous local, provincial and national resources and services for students, staff and parents to support mental health.
Mental Illness Awareness Week was established by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in 1990, while World Mental Health Day was founded by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1992. Both observances seek to increase mental health education while raising awareness and advocacy against social stigma, offering a meaningful opportunity to reflect on how to best foster mental health in our schools, our workplaces and our communities.
Last week, the district’s Mental Health and Wellness Team hosted a special presentation livestream with Lauryn Rees, community and programs coordinator at EmotionsBC, a non-profit society to support people with loved ones struggling with mental health challenges.
The 45-minute interview touches on the society’s many services for caregivers and how the organization serves to best support students and families. For more information, visit emotionsbc.ca or email info@emotionsbc.ca
More of the district team’s mental health video resources are available on their YouTube channel at youtube.com/c/SurreySchoolsMentalHealthandWellness
Provincial Resources
The B.C. government has also shared a number of provincial resources in recognition of MIAW and WMHD, including the updated erase (Expect Respect and a Safe Education) Mental Health and Substance Use website. The site provides accessible information and resources for students, parents and school staff, including practical strategies for integrating mental health into everyday learning environments.
To strengthen mental health literacy and build capacity across the school system, the following provincial resources are available:
- Supporting Students in Times of Change: a practical guide to help educators support students’ mental health and well-being during periods of transition, uncertainty or crisis.
- Mental Health in Schools Strategy: provides a vision and pathway for promoting mental health and well-being across all aspects of the K-12 education system.
- Decision-Making Tool: an optional toolkit designed to help educators identify appropriate and effective resources tailored to the unique needs of learners.
- Language Matters! An Introductory Guide for Understanding Mental Health and Substance Use for Educators and School Communities (along with its companion resource for families): supports mental health literacy in the K-12 system, helping educators, families, and school communities engage in meaningful conversations, build shared understanding and apply key concepts and terminology related to mental health and substance use.
District Resources
The district’s Mental Health & Well-Being Students & Families webpage also has numerous links to resources for mental wellness, including as a series of animated videos for both elementary and secondary levels that address a variety of topics and are available in multiple languages:
- Navigating Life Changes
- Digital Stress
- Healthy vs. Unhealthy Stress
- Health and Wellness
- Healthy Relationships
- Body Image
Further Resources & Supports
Below is a comprehensive list of crisis supports, health resources, counselling options and smartphone apps for mindfulness and guided meditation to help students and families experiencing mental health issues.
Crisis Supports:
- Kids Help Phone | 1-800-668-6868 (toll free) or text CONNECT to 686868 – Confidential and anonymous telephone and online counselling and referral service for young people up to age 20, available 24/7.
- Kids Help Phone Online Chat | kidshelpphone.ca – Available Wednesday to Sunday, 3 to 11 p.m. in B.C. to connect you with a Kids Help Phone counsellor, on the web or from a smartphone.
- Fraser Health Crisis Line | 604-951-8855 or 1-877-820-7444 (toll free) – Trained volunteers provide emotional crisis support 24/7.
- Short Term Assessment Response Team (START) | 1-844-START 11 (1-844-782-7811) – Provides assessment and intervention services to children and teens (ages 6 to 18) experiencing a mental health crisis. Available Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and weekends and holidays, noon to 9 p.m.
- Mental Health Support Line (24/7 all ages) | 310-6789
- United Way Centraide | Call 2-1-1 – Information/referral for community, government and social services support.
- Emergency Mental Health Crisis | Call 9-1-1 – Car 67 Mental Health Police Response
- Suicide Crisis Helpline | Call 9-8-8
- Suicide Prevention Crisis Line | 1-800-784-2433
- Suicide Prevention Education and Counselling (SPEAC) | 604-584- 5811
- Alcohol & Drug Information and Referral Service | 604-660-9382 or 1-800-663-1441 (toll free)
- Kuu-us Crisis Response Services | 1-800-588-8717 (toll free) – Provides 24/7 culturally aware crisis support to Indigenous people in B.C.
- Hope for Wellness Help Line | 1-855-242-3310 (toll free) – Offers 24/7 counselling and crisis intervention by phone or online chat. Available in French, English, Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut.
- Métis Crisis Line | 1-833-638-4722 – Provides 24/7 metal health support, including crisis intervention and access to crisis programs.
Child and Youth Mental Health Clinics:
- Cloverdale | 604-951-5701
- Guildford | 604-586-2685
- Newton | 604-501-3122
- North Surrey | 604-951-5960
- South Surrey / White Rock | 604-542-3900 cymhsrss.com
Other Resources:
- Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre | keltymentalhealth.ca – Resources for students, families and educators.
- Foundry BC | foundrybc.ca – Offers young people ages 12 to 24 health and wellness resources, services and supports-online and through integrated services in communities across B.C.
- Fraser Health Child and Youth Mental Health Resources | fraserhealth.ca
- Here to Help | heretohelp.bc.ca
- Anxiety Canada | anxietycanada.com
- Canadian Mental Health Association | cmha.ca
- Mental Health Commission of Canada | mentalhealthcommission.ca
- Wellness Together Canada: Mental Health and Substance Use Support | www.canada.ca
Counselling:
- BC Association of Clinical Counsellors| 1-800-909-6303 or bc-counsellors.org
- BC Psychological Association | psychologists.bc.ca
- DIVERSEcity – Multicultural Counselling Services | 604-597-0205 or dcrs.ca
- Sources Community Resource Centre | 604-531-6226 or sourcesbc.ca – Provides support for individuals and families.
- Peace Arch Hospice Society | 604-531-7484 or peacearchhospice.org – Offers grief counselling.
- Alex House | 604-535-0015 or alexhouse.net
- Together White Rock / South Surrey | together-wr.com
- Aboriginal Child and Youth Mental Health Services | 604-586-4200
- FRAFCA (Fraser Region Aboriginal Friendship Centre Association) | frafca.org
Apps & Mindfulness Recordings
- Guided Mindfulness Meditations by Dr. Vo | Kelty Mental Health keltymentalhealth.ca
- UCLA free guided mindfulness meditations | marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22
- Mindful Teen Website | mindfulnessforteens.com/guided-meditations/
- Apps: Headspace | Calm | Breathe2Relax | MoodGym | Breathr | Mindshift | Mind Your Mood | What’s Up? | Smiling Mind | Stop, Breathe, Think | Insight Timer
