Mental health programming at library

By Janet Kanters Times Editor

In these dark, cold days of winter, staying healthy can be challenging. Certainly for physical ailments, there are myriad medications and products with the aim of feeling better. But for those suffering from mental health issues, feeling better and being diagnosed correctly is much more difficult.
The Strathmore Municipal Library is doing its part to help people in the area gain knowledge and understanding of mental health issues in children, teenagers and adults. For instance, this past Wednesday (Feb. 27), the library hosted Juno House presents: Healthy Brains = Healthy Children. The program stated that before high school graduation, one third of adolescent girls will experience depression, anxiety disorders, self-harm or an eating disorder. The program shared steps and strategies from the Juno House Therapeutic Model that provided emotional coaching tools for children as they develop through adolescence and into young adulthood.
According to Carmen Erison, assistant director of library services, the library itself to provide free programs for all ages.
“Alberta Health Services provides free education sessions in Calgary. What makes this service unique is they also broadcast them out via videoconference,” she noted. “This gives participants the chance to take free education sessions without having to travel into Calgary.”
Going forward, the library is featuring Helping Teens Diagnosed with ADD/ADHD on Wednesday, March 6 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The program will help participants discover strategies and skills for parents and caregivers of teens with ADD and ADHD.
On Thursday, March 7, also from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the library presents The Core Story of Infant Mental Health. Participants in the workshop will learn what infant mental health is, how it unfolds and how the emotional well-being of very young children can be derailed. The presenter will discuss what parents can do to support healthy attachments and brain development in their infants and toddlers. Parents will also learn about how the young child’s brain is shaped by experiences, and how relationships help children learn how to regulate their emotions, attention and behaviour.
“These two programs are just a taste of the multiple programs we are offering,” Erison said. “Stress and anxiety are everywhere. I’m thrilled to know that we live in a society that recognizes mental health and provides the tools to deal with it. Mental health is no longer a taboo subject that we quietly talk to our doctors about; it is something that affects all ages, races and genders. It is something that needs to be talked about more and with education sessions such as these, we can finally break down the barriers and start healing as a society.”
The library signs up for every free educational session it can to allow a wide range of learning experiences in the library, added Erison.
The library has these offerings:
• Why Reading Matters, Wednesday, March 13, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Literacy is the path to prosperity. In this session, learn about the literacy landscape in Canada, what current research says we need to be doing to support children to become successful readers, and how to develop a reading culture in your home, school or organization.
• Self-Regulation: for you & your child, Wednesday, March 20, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.: While being a parent or caregiver of children can be a joyous and awe-inspiring experience; it can also be frustrating. This session will help you understand what happens in your brain when we are under stress, and why self-regulation of our feelings and actions is essential to helping children learn this critical life skill.
• Cannabis: Legalization, Harms and Benefits, Wednesday, April 3, 10:30 a.m. to noon: This session will start by briefly reviewing the history of cannabis use. The session will discuss the reasons cannabis is being legalized and the prevalence of its use. The benefits and harms of cannabis will then be reviewed and guidelines for youth will be presented.
• Opioids & Youth: What adults should know, Wednesday, April 10, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: This presentation will discuss the signs and symptoms of youth opioid abuse. Participants will learn how to recognize and respond to the symptoms of an opioid overdose, including how to access and when to use a Naloxone kit. A universal screener for opioid abuse and other resources will also be examined.
• Optimal Parenting in the First 2000 Days of Life, Thursday, April 18, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: In this presentation, they will provide an overview of the various areas of child development (e.g., physical health, social competence). Evidence shows that some children are not performing as well as others in these areas. They will discuss how engaging in sensitive and responsive forms of parenting can help children develop optimally. We will review video examples to illustrate when parenting behaviour and communication could be strengthened to optimize child development.
• Nutrition and Mental Health: An overview of what the science says, Monday, May 6, 10 to 11:30 a.m.: The key to understanding the importance of nutrition for our mental health is having some basic knowledge about what exactly it is that nutrients do in our brains. This workshop will provide an overview of nutrition in brain health, as well as a summary of some of the clinical studies showing how dietary education and supplementation are being used to improve mental health. The talk will end with practical ideas for fostering better eating habits, even in our pickiest eaters such as those on the autism spectrum.
• Summer Slide: What is it and what can you do to prevent it? Wednesday, May 29, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Throughout the summer, many children lose as much as two months of reading skills. Known as summer slide, this learning loss can leave children, especially those furthest from opportunity, up to three years behind their peers by the end of Grade 5. In this session, learn how to keep children engaged over the summer to ensure they don’t lose any ground in their learning and experience the joy of reading.