Secondary Snapshots

The Snapshot is a monthly newsletter focusing on topics connected to mental health & social emotional learning. The goal is to create a shared learning opportunity for schools and families.

Helping Teens Manage Change

May 2022 ~ The teenage years bring many changes, not only physically, but also mentally and socially. During these years, adolescents increase their ability to think abstractly and eventually make... Read more

Youth Mental Health

April 2022 ~ Mental health includes our emotional, psychological and social well-being, which means it affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress... Read more

Healthy Habits

March 2022 ~ As a parent of a teen, you are beginning to see your child become an adult. These are critical years that will affect both their current and... Read more

Managing Conflict On and Off Line

February 2022 ~ Conflict is part of life. We can‘t hide from conflict or pretend it‘s not happening. It is unavoidable, but it does not have to be negative. Conflict... Read more

Impact of Social Media on Teens

January 2022 ~ It should come as no surprise that the pressure to be available 24/7 on social media is a very real challenge for today's teenagers. Aside from the... Read more

Relationships, Romance and Consent

December 2021 ~ Peer relationships play a central role in adolescent development. They help build character and can be an important source of emotional support. Parental guidance including ongoing conversations... Read more

Help! My Teen Stopped Talking to Me

November 2021~ So your once chatty teen has suddenly clammed up. The first thing to do is to take a breath and understand that pulling away from parents is not... Read more

Youth and Substance Use

October 2021 ~ Talking to teenagers about difficult subjects like substance use can sometimes be a challenge for parents. However, providing your child with balanced information about substance use early... Read more

Preparing for School

September 2021 ~The transition back to school will be a big change as schools move to larger cohorts and more routine, in addition to once again facing a September of... Read more

Hello Summer!

June 2021~ The school year is almost over. Take a breath, close your eyes and relax. You did it! You got through this challenging year and you and your family... Read more

Teens, Change and a Year of COVID

May 2021 ~ In June 2020, the District Mental Health Team started planning Snapshot topics for the 2020-21 school year. We anticipated that May would be an appropriate time to... Read more

Helping Teens Cope with Grief

April 2021 ~ Each year thousands of teenagers experience the death of someone they love. When a parent, sibling, friend or relative dies, teens feel the overwhelming loss of someone... Read more

Managing Family Conflict

March 2021 ~ The COVID-19 pandemic and the public health response to this crisis requires us to spend more time together in our homes, and has limited important social connections... Read more

The Other Health Emergency

February 2021 ~ While BC continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important that we recognize that this is not our only health crisis. The opioid overdose crisis... Read more

The Science of Kindness

January 2021 ~ Kindness is about more than simply being nice, polite, or friendly, although those things contribute to the overall power of kindness. Kindness is about treating those around... Read more

Managing Stress During the Pandemic

December 2020 ~ Many find the holiday season to be a stressful time of year. December 2020 has the added stressors from COVID: changes to traditional gatherings, limited opportunities for... Read more

Social Emotional Learning: Strategies for Parents

November 2020 ~ Social-emotional skills are the strategies one has for managing strong emotions, navigating relationships, working effectively with others, solving difficult problems, and making responsible decisions. When these skills... Read more

Staying Connected With Your Teen

October 2020 ~ Our job as parents is to meet our kids' emotional needs at each stage of their development so they can advance to the demands of the next... Read more

Welcome Back!

September 2020 ~ This summer provided a brief period to catch our breath, and as we enter September return-to-school plans across BC are in motion. All School Districts and schools... Read more