Dr. Rachel Boulding - Child Psychiatrist
Lynne Anderson - Mental Health Clinician

Explore the transformative potential of the Circle of Security and how it empowers educators to create a nurturing and supportive learning environment that fosters a sense of safety and belonging for every student.

Discover how the integration of attachment theory and trauma-informed practices can pave the way for a school-wide approach that benefits all students.

The Circle of Security© is a powerful and comprehensive visual tool that provides a detailed roadmap for understanding attachment. Initially created to help parents and caregivers gain insight into their roles, this approach is now being extended to educators, who play a crucial part in fostering healthy attachment in children. By utilizing the Circle of Security©, individuals can gain a deeper understanding of the complex and multi-faceted nature of attachment, while also learning practical strategies for promoting healthy attachment in children.

This video aims to provide a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the Circle of Security to caregivers, emphasizing its role in promoting healthy relationships and secure attachments between caregivers and their children.

Attachment is closely linked to brain development. The amygdala plays a significant role in forming attachment bonds and social relationships because this part of the brain helps us remember past relationships, regulate our emotions, and contribute to our body’s response to stressful or fearful situations. This link between the brain and the environment is uniquely
complex for people with FASD.

PPT Presentation by Tanya Brown and Sonya Vellet (2018)

Dr. Neufeld is a top expert in child development, known worldwide as a speaker and best-selling author (Hold On to Your Kids). Renowned for simplifying complex issues, he is widely recognized for his role in fostering positive change. 

His model of attachment is universal in both its application (adults as well as children) and implementation (school as well as home).

Mental wellness encompasses more than just the absence of mental illness. It involves taking proactive steps to move from a state of languishing to resilience and ultimately to flourishing. By focusing on mental wellness, we can shift our perspective away from the stigmatization of mental health issues and towards recognizing our shared humanity. Mental wellness is a multi-dimensional and holistic concept that is unique to each individual.

SD57's Inclusive Education team created a two-page document which includes:
 

Tier 1:Universal Strategies (ALL)
Tier 2: Targeted (SOME)
Student Options
Teacher/School Strategies
Teach - recommended skills
Skills - specific (breathing, etc.)
Resources
Teaching Process
Dual Continuum Model
Indigenous Wellness Framework

The Asante Centre has created a visually appealing graphic that effectively illustrates the developmental impact of trauma, as well as resilience and healing.

This useful tool kit of trauma informed strategies for classrooms comes from 
Dr. Linda O'Neil, a resident of northwestern BC, a certified counsellor and trauma specialist with extensive academic qualifications. She co-manages the Counselling Program with Dr. John Sherry, overseeing the Community Counselling Centre in Prince George. Linda's research focuses on trauma-informed practice, secondary trauma, and counselling ethics in northern settings, actively contributing to various research projects.

Many students (1 in 4) have experienced trauma, affecting how they learn and behave. Trauma can cause lower grades, more absences, and difficulty concentrating. Even one traumatic event can lead to problems like trouble remembering and focusing. Educators can help by working with families and caregivers, referring to community resources, and learning about the effects of trauma on learning. 

Foundry BC shares "tips that can help you and your friends to better deal with challenging life events. Supporting your friend to try new strategies, can help them to figure out what works for them."

Many of these would also work great to strengthen mental wellness in our classrooms. Start off the day with one of these tips:

• Build confidence. Point out those things your friend is good at, build on them and encourage your friend to do their best. 
• Give compliments. They help us to remember the positives in our lives when times get tough.

This WONDERFUL short video by, clinical psychologist Jacob Ham, describes how the brain can struggle to be in "learning mode" due to trauma and other factors. From an FASD-informed lens, we know there are high rates of comorbidity in trauma and FASD, as well as, many other mental health issues that result in the brain often being in survival mode.

In addition to the wonderful breakdown of the two brains, Dr. Ham also shares the most important factor in accessing the learning brain. 

Spoiler alert - it is we (educators) who provide a learning environment where students feel safe and supported. 

Wonderful graphic created by the Asante Centre.

"While the brain is complex, it can be looked at it in 2 basic parts: "upstairs" responding and "downstairs" reacting. People who experience repeated trauma may get stuck downstairs and not have access to upstairs skills."