The Catalyst

This 10‑minute online survey invites British Columbia School Counsellors to share their experiences around professional wellness—what helps them thrive, what barriers they face, and what additional supports they need.

Who is gathering the information?

This Provincial Teacher Inquiry Project (TIP) is facilitated and funded by the BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF). The TIP Team consists of 12 School Counsellors from across BC.

Purpose

To identify current strengths and gaps in supports for school counsellor wellness across BC, including variations by school level and district setting.

Intended use of the data

The results may help to:

   -Highlight effective wellness supports and professional‑wellness practices;
   -Identify barriers and disparities across regions and school types;
   -Generate recommendations for new or expanded resources to support School Counsellor wellness (e.g., mentorship, clinical supervision, funding for self‑directed initiatives); and
   -Inform future advocacy or research efforts.

If direct quotes are needed for publications or presentations, individual consent will be requested.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Lexa Villette at lexavillette@gmail.com

Visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/schoolcounsellor to view the full article online.

Supports in the the Spotlight II

Check out a new report from the McCreary Centre Society on the experiences of youth in and from government care and how to support them. This comprehensive document includes demographics of youth in and from care, the status of their health and well-being (both mental and physical), and a variety of supports which can be helpful. Add this to your summer reading list! 

Visit https://mcs.bc.ca/pdf/supports_in_the_spotlight_ii.pdf to view the full article online.

Have you seen the "Supporting Students in Times of Change" document from the Ministry of Education and Childcare? The document includes helpful tips and suggested actions for when encountering students going through major life transitions, as well as appendices containing supporting resources and classroom exercises. Check it out at the link below! 

Visit https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/erase/documents/mental-health-wellness/supporting-students-in-times-of-change.pdf to view the full article online.

Vancouver Coastal Health hosts a plethora of resources on their website available for schools and educators. Check out their resources on physical health, healthy sexuality, mental well-being, substance use, and much more. They even have resources for parents and caregivers, including recommended screen -use for various ages, following the Canadian Pediatric Society Guidelines. Click the link below to find out more!

Visit https://www.vch.ca/en/health-topics/public-health-resources-schools#resources--137026 to view the full article online.

Did you know that Kelty Mental Health has a podcast? They have 6 seasons of episodes with a variety of topics from step-parenting and blended families to tics and tic disorders. Check out one of their latest episodes on restorative practices in schools at the link below. 

Visit https://keltymentalhealth.ca/podcast/conflict-connection-restorative-practices-schools to view the full article online.

Want to learn more about youth vaping and its effects on health and learning for our students? Click the link below to view the slides from the webinar presented by Kelty Mental Health. Also included, you'll find links to resources such as quitnow.ca and Talk Tobacco - a free confidential program for First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and urban Indigenous communities. Lastly, there are links to each regional health authority's toolkit addressing vaping and smoking in schools.

Visit https://keltymentalhealth.ca/r/understanding-and-addressing-youth-vaping-school-communities-webinar-and-panel-discussion to view the full article online.

In a variety of ways, the term "self-care" has been co-opted by commercial interests seeking to benefit from our general state of tiredness and overwhelm, while many self-help books focus on individualistic strategies intended to help a person feel good (or, at least, less bad) without addressing systemic factors that contribute to wellbeing. More than anything else, self-care means having good boundaries and engaging in the things that will help reinforce those boundaries and find/create/experience more joy in your life. The attached graphic, which is based on the conceptualization of wellbeing from Dr. Richard Davidson and the Center for Healthy Minds, is intended to invite reflection and nurture individual and collective awareness of factors that contribute to wellbeing. Along with and as part of our work towards provision of clinical supervision for school counsellors, the BCSCA is actively seeking to nurture connection within our membership to provide and strengthen opportunities for collective care within our profession. Being able to spend time engaging in collective care is one way that we can address the systemic factors that hinder wellbeing and nudge our systems towards those that are more compassionate overall. Please watch for more information and opportunities regarding this ongoing work.
 

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/bco-nwl/articles/index-v3.asp?aid=889679&issueID=115261 to view the full article online.

Hey members! Check it out!

Below, you will find a promo code for 10% off at Soshemo! Members can find a variety of fun resources to support SEL for learners of all ages.

The promo code for 10% off is BCSCA10

https://www.soshemo.ca/

Visit https://www.soshemo.ca/ to view the full article online.

Have you joined the "BCSCA Members Only" Facebook page or followed "@bcschoolcounsellors" on Instagram yet?

Make sure to join/follow our social media pages for updates, reminders, and opportunities to connect with colleagues! 
Learn More...

Visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/1041691956629342/ to view the full article online.

The Spring/Summer 2025 edition of BC Counsellor Magazine is now live!

This edition features three articles focused on how School Counsellors can support in suicide prevention. The authors featured in this edition are Opal Virgo and Paul Singh; The Ministry of Children and Family Development and the Child and Youth Mental Health Policy Team; and Dr. Dan Cox PhD.

Visit https://www.bccounsellor-digital.com/bcot/0125_spring_summer_2025/MobilePagedArticle.action?articleId=2050496#articleId2050496 to view the full article online.

Twice a year, the BC School Counsellors' Association publishes an issue of BC Counsellor magazine. Click this link to visit the issue library and read past issues of the magazine.

We are always looking for ideas and contributors. If you enjoy writing and have an idea for an article you would be willing to share with colleagues in BC and beyond, then please email publications chair, Lexa Villette (bcsca.publicationschair@gmail.com), and see the attached author guidelines for more information.

The deadline for submissions to the Fall 2025 edition is July 31st.

Click the link bellow to read the Writer Submission Guidelines

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/bco-nwl/pdf/Writer_Submission_Guidelines.pdf to view the full article online.