Happy New Year

This month, our school’s theme is Perspective Taking and Problem Solving. When creating the wellness lessons for high school related to this theme, I was reminded just how important these concepts are when we are part of a community like CA (and larger communities of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and the world)!

We are certainly exposed to different perspectives on big and small issues, and we witness how these perspectives are communicated, often in unhealthy and unkind ways. How can we come together (on any level) to solve problems if we can’t even hear or consider another person’s perspective respectfully? How do we learn to listen with empathy and respect to someone we completely disagree with and differ from?

Maybe these tips can be a starting place:

1. While researching, I came across this site, which clearly shows how to teach perspective-taking at each grade level. Why reinvent the wheel?
2. I also think there is value in teaching our children about cognitive distortions/faulty thinking/thinking traps/thinking errors. I do prefer the term thinking traps because I don’t see thoughts as being “good or bad” necessarily. They are just thoughts. Nevertheless, these terms are rooted in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and can help develop perspective-taking by encouraging self-awareness. There are many different lists out there, but I will stick with the “ classic” cognitive distortion list created by well-known psychiatrist David Burns:
   • All-or-nothing thinking: Looking at things in absolute, black-and-white categories. Borrowing from Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, we can teach our children that two opposing ideas can be true at the same time. This can be difficult for our neurodivergent learners. Watch out for words like always, never, everyone, and no one.
   • Overgeneralization: Viewing a negative event as a never-ending pattern of defeat.
   • Mental filter: Dwelling and ruminating on the negatives while discounting the positives. This filter gets us stuck and prevents us from seeing things in a balanced manner. Responses often begin with, “yeah, but.”
   • Discounting the positives: Insisting that your accomplishments or positive qualities don’t count. Lacking a sense of self-worth negatively impacts our ability to maintain healthy relationships and gets in the way of seeing events clearly.
   • Jumping to conclusions: Also called mindreading (assuming that people are reacting negatively to you or assuming you know what they think or believe) or fortune telling (arbitrarily predicting that things will go badly).
   • Magnification or minimization: Blowing things out of proportion or shrinking their importance inappropriately. This one can be tricky because we can’t decide what a “big” problem is vs a “small problem” for our Children. We can ask questions such as, “how much will this matter in one hour, a day, a month, next year, etc.”
   • Emotional reasoning: Assuming that because you feel it, it must be true. In DBT, we focus on the “wise mind” rather than the “emotional mind” or the “rational mind.”
   • Should statements: Criticizing yourself or others with “shoulds, oughts, and musts.”
   • Labeling: Over-identifying with your shortcomings. Instead of saying, “I made a mistake,” we tell ourselves, “I’m a loser.” Our negative actions start to define us.
   • Personalization and blame: Blaming yourself for something you weren’t entirely responsible for or blaming others and overlooking the ways your own attitudes and behaviours might contribute to a problem.
3. There are different ways to address these common thinking traps depending on one’s theoretical orientation. Without getting bogged down with those differences, I like to approach these thinking traps through the lens of self-awareness and the questions: “do I buy into these thoughts? Are they helpful? Are they working for me?” Obviously, the age of your child will dictate how you approach these ideas. Additionally, this book teaches these cognitive distortions: Millie and Her Tangled Thoughts: A Book to Help Catch, Check, And Change Distorted Thinking, written by Krystin Henley, LMFT and illustrated by Melissa Mundall.
4. There can be a fine balance in parenting between hearing and validating our child’s feelings while also challenging them to consider someone else’s perspective, especially during times of conflict. Yet, trying to walk in someone else’s shoes is important as it develops our sense of empathy. I am constantly reminded that we never know what someone may be going through!

Wellness Updates

Grades K–9

This month, our K–9 MindUp classrooms have been diving into emotional literacy to help students understand and manage their feelings better. Through classroom discussions, the feelings wheel, and mood trackers, students have been reflecting on their emotions, strengthening their self-awareness and self-management skills. This focus on emotional literacy is timely as we prepare to screen Inside Out 2 at the end of the month—a movie that reinforces many important lessons about emotions.

On Jan. 22, our school participated in Bell Let’s Talk Day, encouraging students to wear green in support of mental health and wellness. It was a great way to raise awareness and show solidarity!

Looking ahead, MindUp classrooms will be exploring the concepts of empathy, perspective-taking, and practicing optimism. Did you know that by re-routing the neural pathways in your brain, you can actually develop a more optimistic outlook on life? We’re excited to continue this journey of emotional growth and resilience with our students!

If you have questions about wellness programming in Grades K–9, please reach out to Dylan Dean.

Grades 10–12

This month, students in Grades 10–12 have been discussing perspective taking and problem solving to further develop their self-awareness and empathy skills. Navigating exams has also been a focus this month for most students.

If you have questions about wellness programming in Grades 10–12, please contact me at sbraun@calgaryacademy.com.

Counselling Services and Wraparound Support

We continue to have a counsellor supporting the needs of our learners in K–8. If you want to have your child connect with her, please reach out to Jenny Duffield.

I am here to support the needs of our Grades 9–12 students. If you want your child to connect with me, please reach out to sbraun@calgaryacademy.com.

Lastly, if you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s learning journey, you can also reach out to our Director of Learning, Erin Ellis.

Serena Braun

Registered Psychologist