During the Community Safety and Well-being (CSWB) engagement held in Strathcona County in 2021 and 2022, many participants raised concerns about mental health challenges experienced by community members and were particularly concerned about the mental health of children and youth. The engagement participants shared that the mental health challenges experienced by young people in our community were exacerbated by the pandemic.  

Following the reopening of schools after the pandemic closures, Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) staff at Brentwood Elementary noticed an increase in the mental health needs of students and an increase in the complexity of needs overall. Children were having difficulty adjusting to the in-person school environment and were struggling with self-regulation, anxiety, and stress management.    

Brentwood Elementary quickly established improving student mental health as a primary goal for their school. To address this goal, staff began to work with Strathcona County’s Mental Health Capacity Building (MHCB) team. The partnership was dedicated to fostering academic achievement by prioritizing the holistic well-being of each student. Garry Russell, the principal of Brentwood Elementary, believes that the MHCB program has not only been the basis of a healthier school community but has also been foundational to the academic success of students. He says, “kids that are regulated, have better results. They do better on every core subject.”

The MHCB program is part of a provincial prevention and promotion initiative and is a collaboration between EIPS, Elk Island Catholic Schools, Strathcona County and Alberta Health Services. Strathcona County’s MHCB program operates on a community model and rotates the MHCB team within schools every three-years. The MHCB team promotes positive mental health and strengthens social emotional skills in children, youth and families through awareness, knowledge, and skill building within schools and community. 

Working alongside Brentwood Elementary staff, Asma Ammouneh, Mental Health Capacity Builder, delivered evidence-based mental health focused programs and facilitated engaging activities that gave students the opportunity to practice new skills and concepts in multiple ways. The program began by building emotional literacy in grades 1 through 3. Building on the foundation established in grades 1 through 3, students in grades 4 through 6, focused on skills related to developing and maintaining a growth mindset, cultivating friendships, and managing stress. 

Capacity building for teachers was also a goal of the program. Teachers built their own mental health literacy through Asma’s instruction of the program, and this supported teachers to be as effective as possible in the classroom. At first, Asma introduced, taught and modelled the program, and then staff co-delivered the program with Asma, eventually delivering the program independently. Asma supported teachers to build a toolbox of evidence-based tools and in collaboration with Strathcona County’s Family Resource Facilitation team, held learning sessions on topics such as trauma-informed classrooms and attachment theory. The teachers felt empowered as they learned additional strategies for settling the nervous systems of their students to better prepare them for learning. In addition, Asma delivered responsive programming when common developmental challenges arose in classrooms, such as gossiping. She would provide activities and resources that helped create positive outcomes for students.  

Three years later, many benefits of the EIPS-MHCB partnership at Brentwood can still be seen. Students at Brentwood can identify their emotions and implement a variety of strategies to regulate themselves. Families have also benefited from the partnership: parents have reported that their children are sharing mental-health-related knowledge and strategies at home. For example, a child may notice that their parent is upset and will say, “Mom, you’ve lost your prefrontal cortex, take a deep breath.”

Garry Russell and Michelle Waddell, a School Counsellor for EIPS, also believe the program was an important factor in creation of a safe and supportive school community for families. Because of the school’s work to build a stronger understanding of mental health supports, parents trust they can reach out to school staff for help, sharing their needs and challenges. Teachers and school staff bolstered their ability to work in a strength-focused and trauma-informed way with families, allowing them to feel safe. When families share their struggles, staff now work with the MHCB team and other community partners such as CASA Mental Health Services and the Strathcona County Family Resource Network to ensure families have access to all the support they need.  

Mental health literacy, support and resources are now built into the fabric of Brentwood Elementary. As the complexity of classroom needs continues to increase, the EIPS-MHCB partnership is a shining example of how we can work together and positively impact community safety and well-being in Strathcona County.

For more information about Strathcona County's Mental Health Capacity Builder program, contact Tracy Gravelle at Tracy.Gravelle@strathcona.ca