Lumenus Services at Northern - Read about the services Dale (from Lumenus) provides at Northern as well as tips on surviving the frustration/uncertainty/isolation of the current pandemic! 

Virtual Parent/Caregiver Drop-ins - Connect directly with staff from TDSB Professional Support Services every Tuesday and Thursday to explore ideas regarding your child or youth's mental health and well-being. Access many helpful mental health and well-being resources through their site. 

Supporting the Mental Health and Well-Being of Our Teens During the Pandemic
Resources from TDSB Psycho-educational Consultant, Dayna Morris, and Social Worker, Aimee Gomez who spoke to an NSS audience in Feb 2021 about factors affecting teens, signs that your teen may be struggling, ways to support their mental health and well-being, and what to do if you are feeling concerned.  

• Supporting the Mental Health and Well-Being of Teens During the Pandemic - Presentation Slides
• Mental Health Toolkit for Parents, Caregivers and Families 
• Tip Sheet - Personal Resiliency during COVID
• Top 10 Tips to Support Caregiver Mental Health
• Coping Strategies for Caregivers
• Children’s Mental Health Ontario – Parenting in a Pandemic
• School Mental Health Ontario – Parents and Families

Remote school is stressing parents out, here's how to tame the anxiety - Feb. 8, 2021 Washington Post article. 
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TDSB Mental Health Series

• Changing Your Sleep Routines - for Teens
• Anxiety and Where to go for Help - for Teens
• If You Need Help, We’re Here - for Parents and Caregivers
• If You’ve Chosen Virtual School - for Parents and Caregivers
• How To Help Your Kids Manage Anxiety - for Parents and Caregivers
• Where To Go For Help At The TDSB - for Parents and Caregivers

Monthly WellNSS Resources

Every month WellNSS (part of Northern's dedicated Guidance team) is focusing on a different important topic. Click on a "+" in the table below to expand a section. Don't forget that even after a month has ended the links and suggestions are as helpful as ever!

WELLNSS DECEMBER 2020: FOCUS ON GRATITUDE

• Read about a simple strategy, HEART, to help develop an attitude of gratitude.
• Take and discuss this gratitude quiz with your teen and receive some practical suggestions based on your results. Enjoy a connected conversation as you work through the quiz.
• Explore the relationship between gratitude and humility with this short video from the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation as part of the Traditional Knowledge Keepers series.
• ​7 Grandfather Teachings - Use this tool, developed by Andrea Fowler, to explore the 7 Grandfather Teachings The teachings in the Ojibwe culture have been traditionally passed down from generation to generation by elders orally through stories. Today, the oral traditions are being shared by those who carry the knowledge of such things.  Many Aboriginal organizations and communities have adopted the 7 guiding principals, as a moral stepping stone and cultural foundation.  
• Suggested reading - Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. This thought-provoking, beautifully written book focuses on the gifts and lessons in our lives.

WELLNSS ​ January 2021: Focus on Resiliency

• What is resilience and why is it important?
• A Ted Talk by clinical psychologist Raphael Rose - failure as the key to creating resilience
• Check out this study tying teens’ COVID-19 resilience to their ability to navigate life. Explore how executive function relates to resiliency.
• Executive function activities to help teens practice better self-regulation while facing daily challenges.
• Suggested Reading: Check out an article from Brain Pickings about Rising Strong, the Reckoning, the Rumble, the Revolution by Brené Brown on the physics of vulnerability and what resilient people have in common.

WELLNSS  FEBRUARY 2021: FOCUS ON HOPE  

• Cultivating hope is an act of resilience. Read about some practices to cultivate hope and optimism.
• 8 Ways to foster hope in your daily life.
• Hope — Is It Teachable? Delaney Ruston from Screenagers writes about how parents, caregivers, counsellors, and educators can teach hope.
• Anchor in Hope Yoga Practice.  Try this 18 minute yoga flow

wellnss march 2021: Focus on Coping

• Pandemic Walks. Author Glenn Sumi explores some of the city’s parks, ravines, and streets to encourage walking in our city to manage stress.
• Coping with stress and anxiety. Coping strategies and personal assessment tools to help you manage your stress and anxiety as we adapt the next normal.
• Need motivation? 7 tips to get you in gear. If you’re searching for some inspiration, Ryerson psychologist Diana Brecher shares expert insights to get you off the couch and back on track.

WellNSS April 2021: Focus on Self-Care

• The Toronto Public Library Health and Wellness Blog - Some excellent suggestions for self-care and mental well-being.
• The importance of self-care and how to support your teen - For families, self-care helps parents and teens deal with life’s everyday pressures in a more positive and rewarding way. 
• Ted Talk by mindfulness expert Andy Puddicombe on the transformative power of doing nothing - When is the last time you did absolutely nothing for 10 whole minutes? Not texting, talking or even thinking? 
• The benefits of forest bathing - use the locator to find a nearby provincial park.

WellNSS June: Focus on Relationships

• Mental Health Foundation - Top tips for nurturing healthy relationships during COVID.
• Brene Brown TED Talk - Brené Brown studies human connection -- our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk, she shares  insight from her research. 
• Reconnecting after COVID - Therapists describe "what's next" in mental health and ways you can reintegrate. 
• Tips for Building Healthy Relationships with Your Teenagers - Being a teenager is tough, but it can become easier when adults can take steps to strengthen the relationship with their teenagers.