Last month, Anxiety Canada’s Executive Director, Judith Law and Chilliwack District Counsellor, Cathy Preibisch, were presenters at the BC Alternate Education Association Conference in Vancouver. In their workshop, titled: Anxiety Management, Judith and Cathy spoke about the collaboration between the organization and the school district and how they implemented Anxiety Canada’s resources into a school setting, to help manage student anxiety. The pair also provided the participants with a demonstration of the MindShift app and explained how the Chilliwack District utilized the app with students in Middle and Secondary School Alternate Programs.
How did the partnership start?
A couple of years ago, the teachers and counsellors at C.H.A.N.C.E Shxwetetilthet Alternate School noticed anxiety presenting in their students, as well as with the teachers and parents who were trying to support their students. Cathy picked up the phone and contacted Judith, and it all started with a conversation. If you haven’t read Cathy’s article in the BC Alternate Education Association’s Newsletter on the partnership, you can read it here – Pushing Back Anxiety.
Anxiety Canada consultants, Dr. K. Buhr and Stephenie Gold, trained staff, children, and parents on anxiety management strategies. The staff learned strategies to help them manage their own anxiety – as well tools to help support their students. Anxiety Canada also hosted separate student and parent workshops where the students learned strategies to manage their own anxiety, and the parents learned strategies to help support their youth.
If your organization would like to collaborate with Anxiety Canada on a similar opportunity, please contact [email protected].