Back to school mental health tips

As students and parents prepare for back-to school-season, CMHA Waterloo Wellington is reminding people to keep mental health in mind during the transition.

While a new school year can be exciting, it can also cause stress and anxiety. CMHA suggests maintaining positive mental health during this seasonal shift with the following strategies:

• Take care of your body. Mental and physical health are fundamentally linked. Make sure to get enough sleep, drink water, and eat well.
• Build resiliency. Resiliency means coping well with problems, stress, and other difficult situations. Problems and stress are a normal part of life. Set aside time to think about the resiliency tools available to you, such as structured problem-solving skills or people who can help you during difficult situations.
• Reach out for support. Social support is an important part of mental health. People in our networks can offer emotional support, practical help, and alternate points of view. Contact CMHA WW for mental health support in your community.

CMHA Waterloo Wellington offers services for children. Parents may want to seek help if their child routinely wants to stay home, has difficulty eating in public or using public washrooms, worries frequently, throws excessive tantrums, is extremely shy or avoids social situations or experiences stomach aches, head aches or difficulty in catching their breath with no medical explanation. Sudden changes in behaviour are also indicative of added stress. It is important to note that allowing children to stay home from school when dealing with anxiety is generally not helpful – your child may not be anxious but they are not learning the skills required to work through their anxiety.

CMHA WW Children’s Services have many services and supports for families where anxiety or other mental health issues are a concern. There are children’s groups with parent involvement as well as adolescent groups and individual services, to access services:

Walk-in and meet with a Mental Health Clinician to discuss your needs:

When: Tuesdays from 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. (last appointment is 5:30 p.m.)
Where: 485 Silvercreek Parkway North at Woodlawn, Guelph (take the 20 or the 2A/B Guelph Transit Bus)

Sessions last approximately 90 minutes. There may be a waiting time to be seen.

Call Here4Kids for Prenatal to Age 6:

To access services and supports for children from prenatal to age six in Guelph and Wellington County, call Here4Kids: 1-844-454-3711 (4KIDS 11).

Call Here 24/7 for Children/Adolescence Ages 7-18:

If you are in crisis or wish to discuss whether CMHA has the right service for you, call Here 24/7: 1-844-437-3247 (HERE 247).

On October 5th, Parents for Children’s Mental Health is hosting a FREE half day workshop on How to Work with your School to Ensure Your Child’s Success? This is for parents of children who may have anxiety, ADHD, mood disorders, or behaviour challenges, click here for more details.

For post-secondary students, the Centre for Innovation in Campus Mental Health (CICMH) has compiled an orientation package of campus mental health resources available across the province. Visit the CICMH website to view the full list. Additional mental health tips specifically for children can be found on the Children’s Mental Health Ontario website.

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