STUDY SUPPORTS

The Halifax Helpers was established to make sure that all students receive the academic support they require to become fearless learners. We provide free online tutoring and language sessions for elementary, junior high school, and high school students as well as their caregivers. https://www.thehalifaxhelpers.com/ 

Having a hard time staying focus or using your time efficiently when you are studying/doing homework? Studying with someone else can be great! And taking breaks is super important too! So go on YouTube and search "Study with me" You will find different videos of people working, with or without music, seeing the landscape of the city and taking timed breaks. Some are 50 minutes of work and 10 minutes breaks, or 25 minutes and 5 minutes break. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ex_bNIFR1A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q2Pc-e-8Qc 

There are also study tips available for students on the HRCE  site:

https://www.hrce.ca/about-our-schools/students/study-q

Study Skills 

Being a good student is hard work! To be a good student you have to know how to study, and knowing how to study is like knowing how to drive a car - there are skills that you have to learn that, once you learn them, will stay with you for a lifetime.

Do you find that you study for hours and still do poorly on tests? Do you have difficulty learning from textbooks? Are your class notes just not up to snuff? Check out the links below to learn some basic strategies that will help you study more effectively and experience greater success in school.

Many teachers are available at lunch to help you. You simply need to ask the teacher when he/she is available to give you extra help.

Peer tutoring: students are available each lunch in the library to help you with your assignments or to explain concepts. 

Your guidance counsellor has a list of tutors who are also available to help you.  The list is located in Student Services.

The Kahn Academy – FREE Tutor Site  The Khan Academy's materials and resources are available to you completely free of charge at www.khanacademy.org/

Is online learning for you? Check out the (American website with lots of helpful resources) to help you figure it out www.accreditedschoolsonline.org/

French Online Homework Help!  We've made FREE for you

How does it work?

Dear teachers and students,

RE: Live Demonstration in Classrooms

 Partnered with school boards across the country, Voilà Community Help is excited to provide FREE ONLINE HOMEWORK HELP IN FRENCH to students registered in a French Immersion program. Live French teachers are now available online to help students every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings, from 4 to 8 p.m. 

REGISTER TODAY (it's free)

MANAGING TEST ANXIETY

Here are 2 great resources:

From: Queen's University and Brown University

The Provincial Mental Health Crisis Line is available 24/7 for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis or someone concerned about them. Call (toll-free) 1-888-429-8167. 

If you need ongoing support with mental health and/or substance use issues, you can self-refer to Mental Health and Addictions program by calling the Intake Service (toll-free) 1-855-922-1122 Monday to Friday 8:30am-4:30pm with extended hours until 8pm on Tuesdays. Or you can check the complete list of programs and services at https://mha.nshealth.ca/en 

If you need someone to listen there is:

-Access Wellness Nova Scotia: a free single-session for individuals, couples or families. Visit AccessWellnessNovaScotia.ca or call 1-833-691-2282

-Peer Support Telephone Service: available for Nova Scotians 18 and up, experiencing mild mental health and/or substance use concerns, or, who are feeling isolated, alone, anxious, distressed, or need someone to talk to. Call toll-free 1-800-307-1686

PAUSE is for ANS and Black youth to discuss and heal from Mental Health and/or creating Mental Wellness within themselves and their communities.

Youth identifying as ANS and Black can call 1-800-598-5270, and leave a message, asking to speak with their program for counselling.

They are there to address stigma surrounding Mental health within the community and address mental health with culturally appropriate mental wellness and mental well-being strategies.

Togetherall offers a range of activities that allow you to work through what's troubling you.

Access an anonymous community of support available from members 24/7. Share your thoughts and join a Talkabout alongside fellow members to share and discuss what's on your mind, gain support and advice. You can do this with the whole community or form your own groups or one-to-one chats.

Take self-assessments to help you understand more about yourself. Make a Brick to express yourself and your feelings creatively through drawing or by uploading your own images. Find lots of information in Resources which can help you understand more about how you are feeling, set goals and track your progress. Make friends anonymously so you can give and receive support from others like you.

Join our Courses with others to learn how to manage everything from depression and anxiety to improving your problem solving and learning to stop procrastinating.

MindShift App: Is anxiety getting in the way of your life? MindShift® CBT uses scientifically proven strategies based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help you learn to relax and be mindful, develop more effective ways of thinking, and use active steps to take charge of your anxiety. A new feature, the Community forum, now enables you to find and offer peer-to-peer support. Watch our brief video on getting started with MindShift CBT here. 

Breathingroom is a digital program and app that helps students and young people reduce their anxiety, stress and depression, and transform their lives. Check it out at www.breathingroom.me 

MindWell U: Get a mental fitness workout with MindWell U!!! The 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge is a free online, evidence-based curriculum shown by university researchers to lower stress, increase resilience and improve well-being, performance and optimism.

The 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge is unique because it teaches ‘mindfulness-in-action’ so busy people can become more present and engaged with whatever it is they're doing... at school, at work, out in the community, or with friends and family. As well, everyone who registers for the Challenge, which starts every Tuesday, gets to invite a buddy to take the training with them if they want. It only takes 5-10 minutes a day! https://app.mindwellu.com/novascotia 

Wellness Together: Mental health and substance use support for people in Canada and Canadians abroad. Always free and virtual, 24/7. Learn (articles, videos), practice (courses and apps), Connect with others, Track (your process), and Talk with a counsellor. 

Therapy Assistance Online (TAO): Private online resource that includes interactive activities and videos for people having challenges with their mental health.

Affordable Therapy Network: A community of therapists offering low cost & sliding scale counselling across Canada

• Kids Help Phone: www.kidshelpphone.ca text CONNECT to 686868 or call  1-800-668-6868. 

• Mental Health Mobile Crisis Team: 902-429-8167. 

• IWK Mental Health: 902-464-4110 and press 1 to book an appointment.

• Black Youth Help Line 1 833 294-8650 or http://www.blackyouth.ca

• Hope for Wellness help line for Indigenous peoples 1 855 242-3310

• The Trevor Project crisis service for LGBTQ++ youth www.thetrevorproject.org/get-help/

• Trans line: 1-8777-330-6360 Open 24/7, operators guaranteed on call 5pm-1am EST www.translifeline.org

• All genders hotline: phone 211 Toll free: 1-855-566-4994, operates 24/7

• South House Sexual and Gender Resource Centre: 902-494-2432 outreach@southhousehalifax.ca Monday t Friday 10am-4pm, www.southhousehalifax.org/ 

• NeedHelpNow.ca If you are worried a nude of you under the age of 18 is being shared online, they are there to help. https://needhelpnow.ca/en/ 

• Halifax Sexual Health Centre: https://hshc.ca/  OR call 902-455- 9656STI

• NS Women’s Choice Clinic: 1-833-352-0179

• Sexual Health Website: https://www.sexandu.ca/ 

• Avalon: supports and services individuals affected by sexualized violence 902-422-4240 https://avaloncentre.ca/ 

• Pride Health: phone: 902-487-0470 pridehealth@nshealth.ca www.nshealth.ca/content/pridehealth 

• Youth Project: 902-429-5429 carmel@youthproject.ns.ca www.youthproject.ns.ca/ 

• 211: 24/7, confidential, will connect you with services. Phone 211, operates 24/7 ns.211.ca

General Health Supports

• 811: https://811.novascotia.ca/  OR Call 811

• Cobequid Youth Health Services: 902-869-6131, 902-869-6106 or 902-869-7107

• IWK Emergency Department: 1-888-470-5888 OR 911

Crisis, Housing & Food Supports

• FEED NS: 902-457-1900

• Phoenix Youth Services: https://phoenixyouth.ca/  OR 902-818-5737

• 211: https://ns.211.ca/ 

• Free Local Mental Health services IWK Strongest Families-for children  
  Phone: 1-866-470-7111 https://strongestfamilies.com/ which has free online programs

• Couch of HOPE: Free mental health counselling to individuals 10 yrs old and up. https://couchofhope.com 

• Phoenix Youth and Family Therapy: Free family therapy for at-risk youth | Phoenix youth and family therapy; must have no access to private insurance.   

• Laing House:  located in Halifax, is a drop-in centre for youth aged 16 – 29 living with mental health illness and/or challenges. Based on peer support, youth can meet friends who have gone through similar experiences and support each other as they find wellness. Programming includes art, meals, education and employment support, camping, music and more. With satellite groups in Yarmouth and Sackville, Laing House is extending our reach across NS. We also offer a support group for families. 

• Crisis Text Line is available for adults who are going through a difficult time and need someone to text with. This service is free and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Special support is available for frontline workers Text NSSTRONG to 741741

• HealthyMindsNS provides online mental health support for university and college students.

• ICAN Anxiety Program Help for anxiety and depression through the ICAN (Conquer Anxiety and Nervousness) – Anxiety Program. The program includes online tools for tracking and managing your symptoms and weekly phone calls with a coach.

• MHAhealthNS free and available 24/7. No referral needed. Non-crisis supports. Anonymous/confidential. Work at your own pace