A seed was planted for an idea after a brief conversation in passing with a colleague last spring.

It was almost a decade ago that Dr. Locke began to develop the Mindfulness and Resiliency Skills for Adolescents (MARS-A) in collaboration with Dr. Dzung Vo, supported by a pilot research grant from the BC Children’s Hospital Mental Health Program.

The BC Children’s Centre For Mindfulness officially celebrated its launch on June 24^th 2019.  The event, held in the Chan Centre Atrium was attended by over 60 staff from across the campus, as well as community members. Short presentations by the Centre directors, representatives from the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, representatives from Psychology and Leadership were followed by mingling and connecting.

When people experience a mental illness, medications are not the only treatment option. Pharmacists and physicians are trained to discuss and offer non-drug treatments as appropriate (e.g. cognitive-behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, mindfulness, sleep hygiene, light exposure, exercise, diet and lifestyle changes) which can be used before, after, or in combination with medication.  Unfortunately, people’s response to treatment varies for many different reasons and not everyone is able to access and benefit from these treatments.

‘Somatization’ may be an unfamiliar or complex sounding word, but, in fact, it describes a phenomenon that everyone experiences. Somatization is the physical (or body) expression of emotions and stress.  Everyone somatizes; for example, feeling butterflies in your stomach when you are nervous. 

We are seeking feedback from both families and health professionals to help enhance our Healthy Living Toolkits! Whether you've used the toolkits or not, we want to hear from you!

These toolkits provide information, resources and tools to help children and youth with mental health challenges develop healthy living habits. Toolkit topics include healthy eating, physical activity, sleep and stress management. 

Taming Worry Dragons is a creative approach to CBT that is designed to help anxious children learn how to cope with their worries. The approach can be adapted by therapists and parents to match the developmental level and interests of the child involved. The first Taming Worry Dragons manual was published in 1995, and the program is now used in schools and mental health programs for children throughout BC and across Canada and the US, A number of manuals have been developed since this time, and have expanded to include manuals for teens, school professionals, and health professionals.