Mental Health and Well-Being

What they DO:

• School wide mental health activities

• Classroom programming such as MindUP

• Small group work (Bullying prevention, digital citizenship, general coping strategies and skill building)

• Resiliency and wellbeing screening

• Goal setting and skill building with students

• They participate as team members during crisis assessments.

• Student drop-ins

What they DON'T do:

• Perform formal mental health assessments.

• Clinical counseling 

• Treat eating disorders or substance abuse issues.

• Manage medication.

What they DO:

• Provide clinical counseling

• Mental health and behavioural assessments

• Lead crisis assessments and interventions (e.g., suicide risk)

• Manage cases and help refer students and families to community services

• Provide compassionate care 

• Teach coping strategies

What they DON'T do:

• Provide therapy for substance abuse or addictions

• Manage or educate on medications

• General classroom-level instruction

• Do not treat eating disorders 

What they DO:

• Prolonged attendance referrals as per the Ministry guidelines

• Chronic/habitual attendance referrals

• School Success Team planning for student engagement

• Off-site/home visits

• Liaison for parent and school engagement

• Liaison for community and refer to services where required

• Support improved punctuality

What they DON'T do:

• Provide clinical counselling

• Classroom programming

• Provide formal mental health assessments

MHANs are not SCCDSB employees. They are external service providers who support our students. 

What they DO:

• Manage student transitions between schools and hospitals/treatment facilities.

• Specific support for substance use and addictions.

• Education and management regarding mental health medications.

• Assist families in navigating the medical system.

• Handle referrals for eating disorders.

What they DON'T do:

• Psychological assessments.

• Psychological counseling.

• Lead crisis interventions.

• Perform compassionate care work.

Everyone has mental health. Like physical health, it exists on a spectrum. We all experience stress, burnout, or overwhelm without necessarily having a mental illness. Mental illnesses (e.g., depression, bipolar disorder, OCD) are medical conditions—not personal weaknesses.

Why mental health matters: It helps you

• Manage stress

• Work productively

• Build healthy relationships

• Contribute to your community

• Support your physical health

Mental health is your emotional, psychological, and social well‑being—not just the absence of illness. Feeling stressed or anxious at times is a normal part of mental health and doesn’t necessarily mean you have an anxiety disorder.

Mental illness is a diagnosable condition that affects thinking, mood, or behaviour and causes significant distress or difficulty in daily life. With the right supports, a person can have a mental illness and still experience good mental health.