An initiative at several New Brunswick high schools is making progress giving students access to mental health care.
Much has been made about the lack of resources for mental health, especially for teens, but St. Stephen High is working to reverse that and become a model for other schools across the country.
The initiative began six years ago in a handful of schools in New Brunswick’s Charlotte County and the Acadian Peninsula. Weekly meetings are held where teachers can share any concerns about a student being at risk, with the goal of intervening as soon as possible.
St. Stephen High is working to become a model for other mental health programs at schools across the country.
“This is a unique program that did not exist in its current formation anywhere else in Canada,” says Heidi Fitzgerald with Mental Health and Addictions Services. “We can bring people together more quickly, more often, and with less disruption to their educational curriculum.”
The program, called Integrated Service Delivery, helps bring together the departments of education, health, justice and social development.
