The Wellness Centre is a community hub that is allowing us to support and promote healthy living, in a way that’s centred around connection and care for students and families in New Westminster. Located with interior and exterior access at the new New Westminster Secondary School, we’re putting wellness in the centre of learning!

Through a combination of District staff and strong local partnerships, we are proudly delivering direct care and support for students and community, and hosting educational sessions that act as both immediate supports and preventative learning opportunities. Staff at the Wellness Centre will also be able to support getting referrals for those who need supports beyond what’s available within the Wellness Centre.

Some of the services we’re please to offer include:

  • Mental Health Support:
    • Youth Care Workers and a Clinical Counsellor from the school district are available for ongoing or same day support, for students who drop by the Wellness Centre.
    • Cameray Child and Family Services offer many types of counselling programs to children, youth, and their families based on their needs. This is booked by appointment only.
    • Child and Youth Mental Health is also sharing the space, to support their current clients, out of this central and easy to access space.
  • Grief and Bereavement Care: The Lumara Society is there to assist children, youth, individuals, and families impacted by life-threatening illness, grief and loss.
  • Community Health and Primary Care: As our local Health Authority, Fraser Health is dedicated to promoting physical, emotional, and social well-being using a comprehensive school health approach. Fraser Health services available within the Wellness Centre will include a nurse practitioner who can conduct examinations, testing and prescribe medication. Reasons to be seen by the Nurse Practitioner at the NWSS Clinic:
    • Sexual health concerns
      • Birth control counselling, initiation or continuation
      • Sexual transmitted infection information, examination and treatment
      • Pregnancy testing and decision making
    • Mental Health
      • Depression/anxiety assessment
      • Body image and eating
    • Free medical care for any other medical concerns

The nurse practitioner is available to provide free and confidential care every Tuesday from 10:30am to 2:00pm.

  • Support for students at middle and elementary schools: Did you know that Wellness Centre staff and partners are also supporting students in other schools? Staff based out of the centre regularly travel to provide health and wellness presentations, workshops, and other services at our middle and elementary schools too. For individual students who require additional counselling care, the district’s clinical counsellor also makes visits to all schools to help ensure kids are getting the supports they need.
  • Prevention & Health Promotion: In collaboration with students and partners, we organize and support groups, workshops and other learning opportunities that address issues like nutrition, physical wellbeing, sexual health, gender identity, mental health, substance use, and much more.  We regularly host lunchtime and afterschool groups for students or staff – either through our partnerships or by district staff who are based out of the Wellness Centre. Evening and weekend sessions will be offered to support parents and the wider community as well.

What’s happening at the Wellness Centre?

We host a wide range of learning and engagement opportunities for students and the community. From weekly mindfulness sessions for students, to expert presentations aimed to deliver on parent questions … we’re working to put wellness in the centre of how we support our school communities.

As we continue to work with the community and our partners, we look forward to creating more sessions, supports and opportunities that will be open to a wide range of youth and adults who live in our community, in this growing and inclusive space.

Here’s what else we have going at the Wellness Centre this month:

wellness centre calendar only March 2024

Download March calendar here: March Calendar

 

Come in and see someone

Want to pick through some wellness brochures and pamphlets? Are you a student needing to talk to someone urgently? Coming to join us for a workshop?

The Wellness Centre 
Where: 820 Sixth Street (located via an exterior entrance, on south side of New Westminster Secondary School)
When: 8am to 4:30pm Monday to Friday, evenings and weekends by appointment

If you have questions or suggestions about what’s happening and how you can get involved, contact Rick Bloudell at rabloudell@sd40.bc.ca or call 604-517-6291.