“I am not smart”, “I always finish last”, “I don’t look as good as ______.” Do these comments sound familiar? These types of comments can be very hard to hear as a parent. We all want our kids to have self-confidence. First of all, if this is your child,...

Chores! Why are they important for children to learn? Research tells us that children who do chores have increased self-esteem, are more responsible, are better equipped to deal with frustration, and delayed gratification. We also know that teaching children how to do chores helps them learn time management skills,...

Anxiety is a huge topic in mental health. It has become even more prevalent since the pandemic. Sometimes anxiety gets confused with fear. Fear is the emotional response to a real or perceived imminent threat. Anxiety is the anticipation of future threat. Both are healthy in doses but can...

Hello Brentwood Park families! Welcome back to a new school year! I am excited to be back at Brentwood Park this year as the school counsellor with my days at the school being the same (Tuesday-Friday). We have many returning families, some that have moved on to other schools,...

Screen safety and managing screen time is a huge topic for every parent/caregiver these days. I know that in my household, there are many discussions with my husband and my children about what screen time looks like, what apps and programs are age appropriate, and safety around online use....

There are a lot of parenting resources available both in books and online and it can be confusing to know which ones are worth the read and which ones are not. Here are a list of parenting resources that I have found helpful. Feel free to email me if...

Dear Parents/Caregivers In this blog post I will be providing some resources for ADHD… ADHD is a common condition that is often diagnosed between the ages of 6 and 12. This condition affects approximately 5-7% of children in Canada. There are many resources available for parents who have children...

As parents/caregivers we have all witnessed our children experiencing big emotions at some point. Sometimes these big emotions can be overwhelming for our child (and us as parents) and lead to various thoughts and behaviours. The American Psychological Association defines self-regulation as “the control of one’s behaviour through self-monitoring,...

Hello Brentwood Park Families! I have been enjoying getting to know the students, staff, and families at Brentwood Park this month. I wanted to share a couple of great opportunities/resources for families that will be happening over the next couple of months. The first is through Family Start. Every month,...

Welcome to the Brentwood Park Counselling Blog. First of all, I will introduce myself. My name is Jolene Carlsen and I am the school counsellor at Brentwood Park. This is my first year at Brentwood Park and I am looking forward to getting to know the community. I have...