The Catholic school board is hosting mental health talks for parents

The goal of the Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board is for Trish Tessier’s talk to provide new insights and strategies for parents as they continue to navigate building healthy and connected relationships with their children

The Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board (NPSC) is hosting an event on Monday, April 17 from 6 to 7 pm for parents and guardians titled, “What I have Learned From Kids! – Supporting Self-Regulation, Resiliency and Positive Mental Health in Children and Adolescents,” with Trish Tessier.

The event takes place at the Bishop Carter Auditorium at St. Joseph-Scollard Hall Catholic Secondary School at 675 O’Brien St., in North Bay. The talk is free to attend, although the board asks you to register in advance.

The talk is open to all of our community, the board detailed, “and aims to explore what evidence says about supporting children’s self-regulation and resilience across their development and why it’s important for parents, guardians and supporters to focus their time and energy on promoting connection, emotional literacy and overall mental health.”

See related: VIDEO: ‘You can’t have health without mental health’

Keynote speaker Trish Tessier began her career 23 years ago working in front-line addiction in downtown Toronto for adults involved in the criminal justice system as a result of their substance abuse, the board outlined, and in her current role as manager of student support services & mental health lead for the NPSC, “she has supported the local community in mental health prevention, promotion and intervention since 2014,” the board explained in a recent release.

Tessier is a registered psychotherapist with the Ontario College of Psychotherapists and has spent over 10 years teaching about mental health and addictions at the post-secondary level. Currently, she is an adjunct professor at Nipissing University.

“NPSC hopes to provide new insights and strategies for parents as they continue to navigate building healthy and connected relationships with their children,” the board explained, adding that the evening is co-organized and sponsored by the NPSC Parent Involvement Committee.

For more information and to register for the event, visit the school board’s website.

David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.