NORTHERN BYTES

Inside This Issue:

learn the definition of mental health and how it affects you
watch webinars on various aspects of mental health
download resources to help you with learners in the classroom

Mental Health Resources

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) defines mental health as "...the capacity of each and all of us to feel, think, and act in ways that enhance our ability to enjoy life and deal with the challenges we face. It is a positive sense of emotional and spiritual well-being that respects the importance of culture, equity, social justice, interconnections and personal dignity."

Mental health influences how we think and feel about ourselves and others and how we interpret events. It affects our capacity to learn, communicate, and form, sustain or end relationships. It also affects our ability to cope with change, transition and life events.

With this in mind, there are resources listed below that may be of help to you in the classroom.

LNO Online Community of Practice Webinars

Over the past few years, the Learning Networks of Ontario have offered various webinars on the subject of mental health. Please click here to view the webinar recordings and handouts from the webinars. Below is a list of the webinars and their descriptions that may be of particular interest.

Mental Health - Having the Conversation (originally aired December 8, 2016)

By the end of this webinar, you will have learned:
- how to identify signs and symptoms of common mental health issues
- how mental health can effect your clients
- how to start the conversation about mental health
- about Mental Health Works
- resources available to help support you and your client

Mental Health Awareness - Classroom Strategies (originally aired December 4, 2015)

You will learn about:
- strategies to creative a positive, caring learning environment

YES I CAN - MENTAL HEALTH GUIDE

Project Read Literacy Network developed this guide in 2017, funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Please click here to view the guide.

The following topics are included in the guide:

Introduction - what is mental health?
Mental health and the adult learner
General suggestions for supporting learners living with mental health conditions and disorders
Mental health first aid
Mental health conditions and disorders
Mood conditions and disorders
Anxiety disorders
Substance-related disorders
Pyschotic disorders
Attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Autism spectrum disorders
Developmental disorders
Behavioural disorders
Personality disorders
Physical illness and brain injury
Learning disabilities
Learner resources
Learner handouts
- This section contains 16 tip sheets on such topics as using to-do-lists, checklists, improving concentration, handling stress in class, test-taking anxiety, time management, to solve a problem and many more.

Each section of the guide contains information about what that condition or disorder is, what you might see if your learner suffers from any of these disorders, how you can support learners living with these conditions and learner strategies to help.

There is also a webinar recording that offers more information about the guide and how to use it in the learning environment. To view the webinar recording, please click here.

Mental Health First Aid

What is Mental Health First Aid?
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is the help provided to a person developing a mental health problem or in a mental health crisis. The first aid is given until appropriate professional treatment is received or until the crisis is resolved. The aims of MHFA are to:

preserve life where a person may be a danger to themselves or others
provide help to prevent the mental health problem from becoming more serious
promote the recovery of good mental health
provide comfort to a person experiencing a mental health problem

The Mental Health First Aid Course
This course focuses on the four most common mental health disorders including substance related, mood related, anxiety and trauma related, and psychotic disorders. Participants who take this course are well prepared to interact confidently about mental health with their family, friends, communities and workplaces. For more information about the course please click here.

For those in the Timmins area, Northern College is offering this course on March 6 & 7, 2019. Please click here for registration and more information.

For the Thunder Bay area, Holly at Superior Edge Rescue can be contacted at hkondreska@gmail.com for more information. Also, Holly is willing to travel outside of Thunder Bay to facilitate this course.