P.E.I. students dealing with anxiety forming a deeper trust with school well-being teams, says social worker

Anxiety is the most common reason Island students are turning to well-being teams in schools, says a social worker involved with a P.E.I. support program.

"That's kind of the bread and butter of social workers and nurses," said Grace McCarvill, a student well-being social worker and team lead for the Bluefield family of schools. 

Well-being teams are in place in schools across the Island to provide students with support for mental, social or physical health issues. 

They include social workers, registered nurses, outreach workers and family support workers, according to the province's website. 

The teams have a physical presence at each school, as well as an online referral system that can be used by students or their parents. 

When it comes to supporting students seeking help with anxiety, McCarvill said the first step is understanding how it disrupts their day.

The next step is giving students education around how anxiety is distorting their thinking, she said. 

"Anxiety's trying to convince you of two things: that what you're most scared of is for sure going to happen and that if it does happen, you won't be able to handle it," McCarvill said. 

"If you give anxiety an inch in your life, it'll take a mile." 

When working through anxiety with students, McCarvill uses what's called an exposure hierarchy — "basically building a stepladder of starting with the easiest and then ending with the most challenging things to expose yourself to," she said. 

"It's about... earning back that space through exposures, through facing exactly what you are afraid of."

The amount of time young people spend in front of screens is also a concern for student well-being teams, McCarvill said. 

"There's a real dopamine hit that goes along with the endless scrolling, and there's a big comparison game that they're always playing on social media as well," she said.