New Directions’ office locations at 717 Portage Avenue, 514 St. Mary Avenue, and 10 & 11 – 254 Stella Walk are closed for regular business. Our six Adult Day Services sites are currently closed. A small staff complement remain at the main office at 717 to ensure ongoing mail delivery, package receipt, and will be serving as a response coordination hub for our homes and other residential supports in the community. Many of our staff will be doing their work virtually (counselling sessions, clinical consultations, classes, carrying on our accounting, payroll and finance responsibilities, etc.). Other day service staff will be deployed to providing support to the homes to ensure their ongoing staff needs are met during this time of COVID-19.
Thank you for your support of New Directions and I wish you and your families the best as we all manage this pandemic and its effects on our lives.
Below you will find links to some resources you may find helpful at this time.
Dr. Jennifer Frain, C.Psych.
Chief Executive Office
Big News – Big Feelings Come and Go – is now an audio book
We are pleased to tell you that Big Feelings Come and Go is now available as a FREE Video Read Aloud book!
Click here: https://protectchildren.ca/en/big-feelings-come-and-go/
COVID-19 Response – Mental Health Supports (April 20, 2020)
Most services are currently offered remotely, largely through telephone, text, and video.
COVID_19_Mental_Health_Supports
New Directions COVID-19 Resources for Children, Youth, Adults and Families
Caregiver_Tip_Sheet_Re-Youth_with_FASD_and_Covid_19
WELLNESS_TIPS_FOR_BEING_AT_HOME
Corono_Virus_Story_for_Children
Parenting in Difficult Times 2020
Click here: Parenting_in_Difficult_Times_2020_Resource
Making Sense of Trauma: Practical Tools for Responding to Children and Youth
http://www.makingsenseoftrauma.ca
The Webinar provides tools and interventions for anyone working with children and youth who have experienced trauma. Participants learn how to use a Trauma-Informed perspective to better understand the relational, neurobiological and developmental impact of trauma on children, youth and their caregivers. The webinar has been translated to American Sign Language (ASL) and French closed captions.
Webinar Objectives:
- To develop an understanding of the impact of trauma on children/youth
- To learn the principles of trauma informed care
- To explore the current understanding of the nervous system and trauma survival responses
- To identify specific tools that assist with freeze/flight/fight survival responses in children and youth
In the Resources section, there are handouts and a written guide to the Webinar. Specific resources for educators are available. For anyone using the webinar with a group, there is a Facilitator’s Guide to the Webinar that is available upon request by emailing us at MSOT@newdirections.mb.ca
The book Big Feelings Come and Go is available in French or English to order a copy or download a free PDF version visit:
https://protectchildren.ca/en/big-feelings-come-and-go/