The Halton Catholic District School Board uses a multi-disciplinary approach to supporting students and meeting their needs. This approach recognizes the primacy of the classroom teacher, support staff, and professional and para-professional staff working together to meet needs across the system.
School Social Worker and Child and Youth Counsellors are an integral part of the interdisciplinary school-based team that works in collaboration with students, families, school staff, chaplaincy leaders, and community agencies to improve student achievement and wellbeing.
While each discipline has its own core skill set, it is the integrated work of the support staff, as part of a multi-disciplinary school team, that proves the most effective in promoting student achievement and well-being.
Non-Academic Support Staff
Chaplain – Ms. K. Harkin
Core Services:
- Pastoral Letter On Catholic Secondary School Chaplaincy (ACBO – Education Commission, 2009)
- Masses, Liturgies, Prayer
- Retreats
- Social Justice: awareness and experiences
- Student Clubs: Social Justice Council, PAC, Raiders Thrive
- Grief and Bereavement, Memorials
- Faith formation, Leadership Development, Spiritual Accompaniment, Ministry of Presence
- All based on Catholic Social Teaching
Child & Youth Counsellor – Ms. C. Da Silva
Child and Youth Counsellors support students who experience social, emotional and/or behavioural challenges with priority given to students with an Individual Education Plan (IEP). They collaborate with families, school staff, and community agencies to enhance student success and well-being. Child and Youth Counsellors develop, promote, and support programs which foster healthy, safe, and inclusive Catholic school environments.
Core Services:
- consultation with school personnel
- crisis intervention/management
- group facilitation
- individual support (short-term)
- behavioural observation, informal assessment and recommendations
- preventative early intervention strategies to support positive behaviour school wide
- delivery, development, and education around Tier 1, 2, and 3 intervention strategies
- classroom management strategies
- student/family advocacy
- conflict resolution/peer mediation
- transitional support
- collaboration with interdisciplinary team (e.g. Social Worker, SLP, Psychologist, I-SERT, CYC, etc.)
- refer and liaise with community agencies
- participation in case conferences, transition meetings
- implementing strategies as outlined in the IEP
Social Worker – M. Sadovski
School Social Workers work with school staff to identify and to help remove obstacles that interfere with a student’s ability to learn and to meet with academic success/student well-being. School Social Workers strive to enhance the social-emotional well-being of each student. School Social Workers also serve as the school attendance counselor, focusing on understanding and addressing the wide range of factors that lead to non-attendance.
Core Services:
- compulsory school age/attendance
- support for students and families
- consultation with school personnel
- risk assessment
- individual and group intervention
- case manager functions
- advocacy
- support to school administrators
- crisis management
- crisis intervention
- facilitation of referrals to community agencies/resources
- participation in case conference and school inter-disciplinary team
- VTRA (violent threat risk assessment)
- DBT (dialectal behavioural therapy)
Mental Health Tips
- SMHO – Student Tools
- SMHO – Covid Stress Families
- SMHO – Covid Support Educators
- SMHO – Mentally Healthy Back to School Support Package – PARENTS
- SMHO – Back to School – STUDENTS
Community Partners
- Reach Out Centre for Kids – R.O.C.K
- Crisis Outreach & Support Team – C.O.A.S.T
- Halton Adapt
- Distress Centre of Halton
- Big Brother’s Big Sisters of Halton
- Halton Children’s Aid Society
- Lighthouse Support for Grieving Children, Youth and Families
- Region of Halton Mental Health Support Services
- School Mental Health Ontario – S.M.H.O
- Children’s Mental Health Ontario – C.M.H.O
- Kids Help Phone
- Nelson Youth Services
- Fare Share Food Bank
- Woodview Mental Health & Autism Services
Never Alone
A short film about mental health written and directed by STA Students Jack Kukolic, Emma Pascu, and Meghan Pask.