Northwestern Ontario school board sees doubling of mental health requests

A constantly changing school yearand a lack of extracurricular activities are just two of the reasons one school board in northwestern Ontario has seen a doubling of mental health requests.

The Kenora Catholic District School Board has seen all of its schools experience twice the number of mental health referrals, with one school experiencing three times the normal referrals, said Sue Devlin, the board's mental health lead.

Support workers help students find the resources they need, she said, with most referrals coming from classroom teachers who notice behavioural changes in their students.

"Our students were just stressed. The predictability wasn't there this yearbecause of COVID, there were constant shifts to online and then back to school and having classroom closures that required our kids to work from home," Devlin said.

"All those things, the social isolation, not being able to engage with peers, there were no sporting events this year. All those things that seem small to us, are key things for our students."

Devlin said the board was prepared to see an increase in mental health referrals this year, but the growth in cases was a bit of a surprise.

"They lost all those outlets that they typically use to manage their stress. They really struggled, as we all did."

Most referrals come from classroom teachers, Devlin said, who may notice changes in a student. She said when students were in actual classrooms, the referrals from teachers skyrocketed.

Students and parents could also ask for assistance as well, Devlin said.

Bringing students back to class, even if just for a few weeks, would have a major impact on mental health, Devlin said.

"It'll give them those closure activities that you need to transition to different grades, or all those key things that we take for granted to have a positive end to the school yearand kick off the summer."

Devlin said the hope is a return to a more normal schedule in the fall will help many students.

"I can't help but be optimistic. I like to hope that once things open upand kids have those things available to them that bring them joy, mental health is going to improve."