The Alberta Teachers’ Association

ATA conference reinforces teachers’ important role helping students with mental illness

Raymond Gariépy
ATA News Staff

The diagnosis is alarming. The statistics are startling. The treatment is eye-opening.

One in five Canadians will have a psychological disorder in their lifetime, according to Mental Health Canada. People diagnosed with mental illness are often stigmatized because of society’s misconceptions. In some cases, mental illness is not curable but is treatable thanks to medication and therapy. In many cases, however, the treatment is unexpectedly straightforward and not rocket science; it originates with providing correct information and access to compassionate people. Unfortunately, many people afflicted with mental illness, particularly children and youth, fall through the proverbial crack.

Working to better the lot of young people suffering from mental illness was on the minds of delegates attending the ATA’s 2010 Conference of the Committee on the Well-Being of Children and Youth, held May 7 at the Chateau Louis Hotel and Conference Centre, in Edmonton. A series of seven workshops and a panel discussion were featured. The conference theme, “Can We Talk? Communities and Teachers Supporting Mental Wellness,” best sums up the focus of the conference’s presenters.

Tom Shand, of the Canadian Mental Health Association, and Dr. Wanda Polzin, of CASA, were the keynote speakers. Shand said the conference showed the need for people to become more comfortable talking about mental illness. In the past, he explained, people were left on their own to wrestle with their demons. Talking is a valid treatment that builds self-esteem and the confidence to deal with mental health challenges, he said. The earlier the treatment begins, the better and sooner the outcome. “It is hugely important that teachers help students talk,” Shand said.

Polzin, program manager with CASA, a community-based provider of mental health services for infants, children, adolescents and their families, echoed Shand’s theme that teachers play an integral role in helping students. Polzin noted that teachers spend up to seven hours a day with their students, compared with the less than two hours a day students spend with their parents. “The teacher’s role is substantial,” Polzin said. The downside, however, is that many teachers do not have sufficient information and inadvertently miss what is important—what Polzin calls the “iceberg phenomenon.” Teachers see a student’s behaviour but not what lurks just under the surface—a dysfunctional family, chronic poverty, or alcohol and drug abuse. “It’s important to get the bigger picture,” she said.

The bigger picture involves seeing mental illness. Many people believe that mental illness isn’t real because it isn’t visible, say like a broken leg, asthma or heart disease. “There is definitely a lack of information on the parents’ and teachers’ side that leads to stereotypes and a fear of mental illness,” Polzin said. On the upside, education and a growing awareness of mental illness are altering people’s perceptions.

The challenge associated with mental illness and Aboriginal youth was the focus of Sharon Bourque’s presentation. Bourque, a Métis and a former police officer with the City of Edmonton, is a teacher consultant in Aboriginal education with Edmonton Public Schools.

Bourque’s underlying ­philosophy when working with Aboriginal youth is to establish a meaningful relationship with them and their families. “What’s important is to listen to youth. It takes time to build relationships,” she explained.

Central to her work is the concept of restorative justice, which promotes values and principles based on inclusion and collaboration in the community. The goal of restorative justice is to “restore the relationship, fix the damage that has been done and prevent further crimes,” said Bourque. The process “allows for healing rather than being alienating and coercive.”

Integral to the process of restorative justice is the Circle of Support, where participants sit in a circle and talk. Participants recognize that knowledge is valid and valued. The circle creates a safe environment for youth and their parents or guardians, and empowers them to change and grow. “Everyone is equal,” Bourque said. “I’d like to see the Circle of Support written into the School Act.”

It’s a bold leap from sharing personal stories one-on-one within the sanctuary of the Circle of Support to disclosing intimate details to countless people on the Internet. The latter was the focus of a workshop about mental illness and the privacy rights of youth, offered by John Mould, Alberta’s child and youth ­advocate.

“It’s astounding the extent to which the personal information of young people is mined on the Internet,” warned Mould. Many privacy issues arise regarding the collection of personal information for commercial and sexual purposes. “Young people’s need to belong is absolutely powerful. … They now have tools that ratchet up the ability to belong and to share information,” he said. Many websites conduct “fine grain searches” of users’ personal data. In turn, the information is sold to advertisers, who target ads at users based on the preferences they post online.

Most websites have online privacy statements, but many such agreements are complex, said Mould. It is important that young people are aware of these policies, many of which permit the website operator and developer to be “free to collect personal information and use it any way they see fit.”

Mould observed that a shift in power is occurring between adults and young people. “Historically, power has rested in the hands of adults—we are bigger, we know more, we are the limit-setters, and we are the disciplinarians. But I would contend that in relationship to the tools attached to the information, the power has shifted away from adults to young people. They have much more facility with the tools than adults generally have.” According to Mould, mastering the tools leads to mastery of the Internet.

“My notions of privacy originated a long time ago and are no longer operable,” Mould said. Young people in particular need to get a grip on the technology and the way it challenges their values. They need to understand that something is going on behind the screen that is both useful and potentially harmful. They need to examine their values and beliefs, Mould said.

What can we do to protect young people’s privacy?

Change is happening, including in our values base. By way of illustration, Mould shared the major age-and-stage issue he had to deal with when his children were growing up: the question of when they could start wearing makeup to school. In contrast, today’s parents struggle with whether they should allow their young children to have their own cellphones and computers, and when to allow them unfettered access to the Internet. For this reason, Mould contends, it’s important that young people are involved in conversations about technology, its use and guidelines.

Conversations about technology and privacy must be respectful and engaging. “Young people have a considerable amount of wisdom and are not often asked to bring that wisdom to the discussions. We must engage young people in coming up with the rules,” he said. He concluded by saying that teachers, parents and adults must prepare young people so their brains, not just their emotions, are engaged.