Clinical Depression can be a debilitating thing for any child to deal with, having major impacts on their education from a young age. With the tailored approach offered at Whytecliff Agile Learning Centres, children are given a second chance at progressing through the education system in a way that’s more manageable for them.
Children who attend the Whytecliff programs face a variety of learning and life challenges, but most suffer from mild or more severe depression, which has often prevented them from thriving in school and limited their chances at high school completion.
How Whytecliff can Help Kids with Clinical Depression
Whytecliff offers the BC Ministry of Education accredited curriculum leading to a British Columbia Certificate of Graduation. Whytecliff also incorporates the new BC Curriculum’s intellectual, personal, and social-emotional proficiencies, with a special emphasis on youth development as well as positive mental health and wellness.
Whytecliff is designed to promote positive mental health, rather than treat serious emotional challenges. At the same time, our positive approach is highly effective in reducing or even eliminating clinical depression. Whytecliff’s model of Positive Youth Development reflects a deep understanding of complex neurophysiology baked within a simple, gentle approach. Though subtle, it holds profound impacts for children who struggle with depression. Think of it like a loaf of bread, simple ingredients coming together to create a greater synergistic whole.
The key ingredients include:
– A physical environment that is warm, cozy, and safe where a child can feel comforted and relaxed;
– An emotional environment that is gently positive and welcoming,
– The right staff with deep listening skills who work to care for each child as they want to be cared for;
– A therapeutic learning community where children have a sense of belonging and experience being cared for, appreciated, and respected;
– The right curriculum that places just enough on each child’s plate that they can be successful with small goals for each day (so that each child receives a boost of dopamine on completion and begins to feel good again);
– Fun physical and community activities to naturally build serotonin and increase physiological and emotional balance.
At Whytecliff our self-directed and self-paced learning approach (concentrating on one or two courses at a time) allows children to proceed in accordance to their particular skills and challenges they face. Our warm, caring, and competent staff are attuned to children’s needs and abilities and are able to pick out when a student becomes confused or begins to struggle. With our low student to staff ratio of 5 or 6 to 1, children are able to receive the emotional and practical support they need to be successful.
External Resource: