crisis
I need help and it's after school, during the weekend or during a school holiday. What should I do?
Tell a trusted, adult you feel safe with immediately.
Then, as needed for extra support in a true safety-related emergency, call 911 or 604-599-0502 for the non-emergency police line. You can also text CONNECT to 686868 or call 1-800-668-6868 to speak to a free, 24/7 crisis responder who can help you.
Connect with your school counsellor as soon as you can once you are back at school.
I have concerns about my friend's safety. What should I do?
If it is during school hours, connect with your school counsellor right away. If it is outside of school hours, follow the procedure above as needed. Encourage your friend to reach out to a parent/ guardian, as well as their school counsellor as soon as possible.
Tell a trusted, adult you feel safe with immediately.
Then, as needed for extra support in a true safety-related emergency, call 911 or 604-599-0502 for the non-emergency police line. You can also text CONNECT to 686868 or call 1-800-668-6868 to speak to a free, 24/7 crisis responder who can help you.
Connect with your school counsellor as soon as you can once you are back at school.
I have concerns about my friend's safety. What should I do?
If it is during school hours, connect with your school counsellor right away. If it is outside of school hours, follow the procedure above as needed. Encourage your friend to reach out to a parent/ guardian, as well as their school counsellor as soon as possible.
COUNSELLING AT SULLIVAN HEIGHTS
What kinds of things can I come see you about?
You can see your counsellor with problem solving and answering questions regarding academics, career choices, home life, friendships, personal development and more. If you are not sure, just come to see us and we will be happy to answer your questions.
Will you tell my parents/ teachers/ friends the things I shared with you?
What you say in counselling stays between us in counselling. We would not tell anyone else what is discussed together EXCEPT if it has to do with safety. If you are getting hurt, others are getting hurt, or someone is hurting you, by law and for safety reasons, we cannot keep that information confidential. If we need to connect with someone else to get you extra support, we try our best to loop you in.
What kinds of things do I see you for as opposed to the vice principal?
If you have any concerns about bullying, safety in the building or teachers, please contact your vice principal directly, or have a parent/ guardian contact them. You can email them (their email is available on the school website), or you can drop by the office and ask to see them if they are available.
Where do I find you? Should I wait on the couch for you?
The counselling office is connected to and located right behind the main school office. When you come in, please do not wait on the couch as we will not know if you are sitting there. Please go right up to your counsellor's door and see if they are available to see you. Ms. Brown's office is on the second floor up the main stairs from the HUB. Her room number is C218.
Do I need counselling outside of school? Can I just come see you?
Depending on what you are going through, you may or may not be recommended to see a doctor and/ or community counsellor. Speak to your counsellor about this. Due to the sheer volume of our caseloads, you may be recommended to see an outside counsellor for further support and follow up outside of school hours.
Do I need an appointment to come talk to you? How do I book an appointment?
It would be best to have an appointment to see us, so we can make sure that we are available to see you. If you are unable to schedule an appointment, drop by at lunch or after school right after the bell to see us. Lunchtime works best for drop-ins. If you want to book an appointment, please e-mail us to arrange for the date and time ahead of time.
I am in the middle of my class, but I have some questions I would like answered by you. Can I come see you during class?
When you are in class, we would like to have you stay in class so as not to disrupt your learning. If you have an emergency situation regarding safety, you can always ask to see us, but otherwise, please attend class and email us for an appointment later in the day or week.
How do I know if something is an emergency?
If your or someone else's safety is at risk, this would be an emergency. If not, please e-mail us for an appointment or drop by at lunch to see us.
My parent/ guardian wants to meet with you. How can this be arranged? What if my parent/ guardian does not speak English fluently?
Parents/ guardians can e-mail to schedule an appointment. We can also contact District translators to come help communicate with your parents/ guardians as needed, but this often takes a week or two to arrange ahead of the meeting.
I sent you an email and you never replied. What now?
Counsellors receive dozens of emails daily. We try our very best to answer them in a timely manner, but if you need a quicker answer, you can drop by at lunch to see us in person.
Do I send you TEAMS messages or e-mails?
Some counsellors answer their TEAMS messages, while others prefer e-mail. When in doubt, send an e-mail, and ask your counsellor if communicating over TEAMS is okay with them.
What if my counsellor is not here today?
If it is not an emergency, please come back tomorrow to see your counsellor at lunch. If it is an emergency, and you do not mind, you are welcome to speak with any one of the other counsellors for today.
You can see your counsellor with problem solving and answering questions regarding academics, career choices, home life, friendships, personal development and more. If you are not sure, just come to see us and we will be happy to answer your questions.
Will you tell my parents/ teachers/ friends the things I shared with you?
What you say in counselling stays between us in counselling. We would not tell anyone else what is discussed together EXCEPT if it has to do with safety. If you are getting hurt, others are getting hurt, or someone is hurting you, by law and for safety reasons, we cannot keep that information confidential. If we need to connect with someone else to get you extra support, we try our best to loop you in.
What kinds of things do I see you for as opposed to the vice principal?
If you have any concerns about bullying, safety in the building or teachers, please contact your vice principal directly, or have a parent/ guardian contact them. You can email them (their email is available on the school website), or you can drop by the office and ask to see them if they are available.
Where do I find you? Should I wait on the couch for you?
The counselling office is connected to and located right behind the main school office. When you come in, please do not wait on the couch as we will not know if you are sitting there. Please go right up to your counsellor's door and see if they are available to see you. Ms. Brown's office is on the second floor up the main stairs from the HUB. Her room number is C218.
Do I need counselling outside of school? Can I just come see you?
Depending on what you are going through, you may or may not be recommended to see a doctor and/ or community counsellor. Speak to your counsellor about this. Due to the sheer volume of our caseloads, you may be recommended to see an outside counsellor for further support and follow up outside of school hours.
Do I need an appointment to come talk to you? How do I book an appointment?
It would be best to have an appointment to see us, so we can make sure that we are available to see you. If you are unable to schedule an appointment, drop by at lunch or after school right after the bell to see us. Lunchtime works best for drop-ins. If you want to book an appointment, please e-mail us to arrange for the date and time ahead of time.
I am in the middle of my class, but I have some questions I would like answered by you. Can I come see you during class?
When you are in class, we would like to have you stay in class so as not to disrupt your learning. If you have an emergency situation regarding safety, you can always ask to see us, but otherwise, please attend class and email us for an appointment later in the day or week.
How do I know if something is an emergency?
If your or someone else's safety is at risk, this would be an emergency. If not, please e-mail us for an appointment or drop by at lunch to see us.
My parent/ guardian wants to meet with you. How can this be arranged? What if my parent/ guardian does not speak English fluently?
Parents/ guardians can e-mail to schedule an appointment. We can also contact District translators to come help communicate with your parents/ guardians as needed, but this often takes a week or two to arrange ahead of the meeting.
I sent you an email and you never replied. What now?
Counsellors receive dozens of emails daily. We try our very best to answer them in a timely manner, but if you need a quicker answer, you can drop by at lunch to see us in person.
Do I send you TEAMS messages or e-mails?
Some counsellors answer their TEAMS messages, while others prefer e-mail. When in doubt, send an e-mail, and ask your counsellor if communicating over TEAMS is okay with them.
What if my counsellor is not here today?
If it is not an emergency, please come back tomorrow to see your counsellor at lunch. If it is an emergency, and you do not mind, you are welcome to speak with any one of the other counsellors for today.