The COVID-19 pandemic has been a game changer with respect to individual mental health and wellness. I don’t believe that there is anyone who would dispute that the last two and a half years have had a negative influence on one’s mental health and wellness. This has been evidenced in the education sector with increased concern surrounding staff and student wellness. The many shocks to the system including moving to an online delivery modality virtually overnight and prolonged physical isolation have taken their toll. This is observed through increased absences for staff and students as well as an observed increase in overall general anxiety and disengagement. Superintendents, divisional leaders, teachers, principals, bus drivers, clerical staff, caretakers, educational assistants, library assistants and many more staff within the education sector are all struggling under the pressures of the extended pandemic as they work diligently to support our students. Our front-line educational workforce has definitely been hit hard by the stresses of the pandemic.
Mountain View School Division (MVSD) has not been immune to these trends. Resilience, one’s ability to cope with and recover from setbacks, is something that has been affected. The events of the past two and a half years have really stretched all of us to the point where we are overall less resilient. This means that something that was normally a minor inconvenience to us can now suddenly be a crisis.
Being aware of these facts is important to everyone in the education sector and that is why the Canadian Mental Health Association Manitoba and Winnipeg in partnership with Provincial government funding developed the Care for All in Education initiative. A Mental Health in Education working group was formed (The Care for All in Education name came later) and a plan was developed to support the mental health and well-being of all workers in the Education sector. I have been privileged to be a part of this working group since its inception in the Fall of 2021 and it has given me a front seat to the realities of this mental health crisis and has left me with a desire to ensure that we are doing everything possible to help our MVSD staff. What resulted from the working group consultations was the Care for All in Education mental health resource web portal which includes real-time access to a team of Wellness Support Specialists to connect education staff with the mental health resources they so clearly need in these times. This is a one-stop shop of resources and real time support where all workers in the Education sector can access and receive immediate attention. There is even a chat feature on the website that is easily accessed and will result in connecting with a wellness support specialist. Among the varied supports are training programs and sessions that individuals can sign up for to either attend in person or have the facilitators come to their place of work.
At MVSD, we have participated by having our Administrative Council members take part in the mental health awareness training for Administrators. This course outlines how to look for signs of deteriorating mental health in staff and how to respond appropriately and sensitively. Resources to support mental health and well-being in the workplace is also part of that training. Additional training sessions include Certified Psychological Health and Safety Training and A Hazard is a Hazard Training. The goal of all of these trainings is to raise awareness of workplace mental health concerns, identify common psychological hazards and outline how to incorporate practical responses and provide support.
Other resources available on the web portal are links to online resources for education sector administrators and education sector workers. These include links on a variety of topics including: anxiety; balancing back to school; bereavement, grief and loss; counselling, therapy and peer support; depression; life transitions and goal setting; self injury; stress; substance use; trauma and more. Still other links will take you to the main CMHA Manitoba Winnipeg page where one can access the resources and programs that they have running on a regular basis. There is also a regular podcast that is accessible on the page called the well-being connection podcast. As you can imagine, this work is a massive undertaking and takes a lot of planning, collaborating and cooperation. As part of the initial release of the web portal, a research project was undertaken through the University of Winnipeg to survey participants before and after interacting with the resources. This data is being compiled and a fulsome report will be released soon. The Care for All in Education web portal has become an important resource for many staff in the Education sector and we continue to promote and spread the word of its value. In MVSD, the Care for All in Education web portal link shows up on the splash page every time an employee logs into the MVSD Intranet so it is always front and centre. The Care for All in Education web portal can be accessed at: https://careforallineducation.com/.
Please remember your health and well being is above all and please reach out if you need help. Take care and take the time to thank someone for their work in the Education sector today!