UNews - Kevan Bryant

Counsellors key assets to any well-functioning school

trevor.kenney — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 22:52:04 +0000

Today’s school counsellors are linchpins to smoothly functioning schools. They recognize that mental, social and emotional health leads to better academic performance, and that strong student/teacher relationships enhance classroom management.

Teacher Counsellors deliver lessons, run groups, offer one-on-one counselling, and assist with any issues that arise throughout the day.

Kevan Bryant and Katherine Coleman relish their roles as Teacher Counsellors.

“Teachers genuinely want to help kids, but sometimes they don’t have enough time and the needs are too high,” says Katherine Coleman (Master of Counselling ’15), teacher counsellor at Galbraith and Westminster elementary schools in Lethbridge.

Kevan Bryant (MEd Counselling Psychology ’15) at Lethbridge’s Wilson Middle School agrees.

“We can spend time with a student and hear the whole story. When teachers understand the bigger picture they can cope more easily. It builds a partnership, meeting students’ needs while also creating a more positive environment for teachers.”

Self-regulation is a key focus in most districts. Coleman and Bryant work with teachers to help them support students in moderating extreme emotions and behaviour. Additionally, Coleman runs MindUP programs, and Bryant distributes self-regulation kits to classrooms. The kits contain hand, mouth, and foot fidgets (kinetic sand, stir stix, athletic bands), scented oils, and other calming aids.

Counselling models change from school to school, but the need for counsellors does not. Coleman and Bryant spend the majority of their time seeing students one-on-one. Many students self-refer, with issues ranging from peer relationships to self-harm. Coleman concedes there is a need for suicide risk assessment even at elementary levels. Teachers are grateful for the counsellors’ presence in schools.

Coleman and Bryant are grateful for their ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge education.

“Leaving the program I felt prepared and competent,” says Bryant, who also serves as Guidance Council of the ATA South West President. Coleman, who completed her masters online while continuing to work, states, “The professors were skilled and experienced. Our degree is well-recognized. Getting a degree from the UofL was meaningful.”

Favourite Interventions

Katherine Coleman

"Zen tangles, mandalas, and mindful colouring are very relaxing. Zen tangles are like self-created mandalas. You start a pattern and the student continues it, or you show them different patterns and they can make their own.”

Kevan Bryant

“I like connecting students with books. In one classroom students had gone through a lot of loss. I read them the book The Invisible String. Then they each got a piece of fishing line and chose beads that represented people and things they’ve felt connected to. Some wear their invisible string as a bracelet; some attach it to their backpacks as a reminder of being connected to others.”

Classroom Yogi

david.kirby — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 23:21:34 +0000

There's a warmth to Kevan Bryant (BA/BEd '12) that's impossible to overlook

Her eyes smile when she speaks. The tone of her voice is calm and assuring. Her skin practically glows. You feel good just being around her, and deep down you want to know what her secret is.

Yet Bryant’s radiance isn’t a secret at all. In fact, it’s something she’s intent on sharing – yoga. The mental, physical and spiritual disciplines aimed to transform the mind, body and spirit.

"Yoga completely changed my life. The mental aspects of the practice alone are life altering," says U of L graduate student Kevan Bryant (BA/BEd '12)

As a certified yoga instructor, a junior high school teacher and a graduate student in the Master of Education Counselling Psychology at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, Bryant is working to introduce yoga to students across southern Alberta.

“Yoga completely changed my life,” says Bryant, who’s been an instructor since 2011. “The mental aspects of the practice alone are life altering. Yoga taught me to be more compassionate – to myself as well as to others. It made me curious about who I really am, taught me how to look within and really get in touch with what’s going on inside me. It changed the way I look at everything for the better.”

Bryant graduated from the U of L in 2012 and taught for a year before returning to U of L in pursuit of a Master of Education degree. She’s currently working full time as a teacher counsellor while she completes her graduate studies – a position that will continue once Bryant graduates from the U of L for the second time next spring.

“The Faculty of Education is renowned for its programs,” says Bryant. “When I completed my undergraduate degree I felt thoroughly prepared to be a teacher, so I know that when I leave the master’s program I will be thoroughly prepared to be a counsellor as well.”

Bryant began looking for ways to bring yoga into schools since she decided to become a teacher. Maybe it was karma, but she landed in the right place to do that during her PS3 teaching internship. Bryant’s teacher-supervisor was also a yoga devotee, and she encouraged Bryant to follow her instincts about bringing yoga into schools. Bryant created an after-school yoga club and began teaching techniques to students two days a week. The experiment was a huge success, and the effect on students was incredible.

“I had the students fill out surveys on how they felt coming into yoga class versus how they felt afterward,” says Bryant. “The feedback was incredibly positive. Students reported feeling less stressed, their anxiety levels dropped, and there was increased self-awareness among all participants. From that point on, my goal has been to bring yoga into mainstream education.”

Bryant hopes to create a yoga-for-mental-health program for physical-education classes at public schools. According to Bryant, the implementation of such a program could address serious mental-health conditions such as anxiety, stress and depression, and give students tools to help cope with these and other related issues day-to-day.

“Yoga is a preventative practice,” says Bryant. “If integrated into the education system, it could help alleviate mental-health conditions before they arise. The simplest techniques can have amazing results, and students will take those techniques forward with
them throughout their lives.”

After seven years of education at the U of L, Bryant is anxious to delve into professional life. She is already offering a variety of yoga classes for both students and teachers at her school, she’ll be running a mental health group for students later this year, and a proposal that Bryant put together for implementing yoga at schools has been approved for the 2015 Alberta Teachers’ Convention – all positive signs that educators everywhere are interested in what yoga can do for students.

“When people start to see the benefits of teaching students yoga, it’s pretty hard to ignore,” says Bryant. “Young people today have a lot going on; their minds are very busy, and yoga helps to calm that mental whirlwind. It gives kids important tools at a critical age, which can wind up making a huge difference to them both short-term and long-term. There is amazing potential in bringing yoga into schools, both on campuses and for society at large.”

How can yoga help students deal with stress?

trevor.kenney — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 21:02:13 +0000

Kevan Bryant (BA/BEd '12) says her passion for research comes from a love of learning and being curious about how people can live their best, most healthy and most meaningful lives.

Kevan Bryant intends to work as a counsellor within the local community or the education system.

As part of the Master of Education, Counselling Psychology program, she is working on creating a yoga-for-mental-health program that could be implemented into the education system to address mental-health conditions such as anxiety, stress and depression, giving students tools to help cope with these issues in their everyday lives.

“The Faculty of Education is renowned for its programs. I completed my undergraduate degrees at the U of L and when I left the program I felt thoroughly prepared to be a teacher. So I know that when I leave the master’s program, I will be thoroughly prepared to be a counsellor as well.”

When she graduates, Bryant intends to work as a counsellor within the local community or the education system, utilizing a holistic and humanistic approach through yoga and art as tools for healing and self-exploration.

Bryant is also the recipient of a long list of scholarships and awards.

“I was so fortunate to receive many scholarships that have taken pressure off me working full time during university or having to get student loans,” she says. “I was able to focus on my studies and pursue varying interests.”

By making a gift to Supporting Our Students (SOS), you can help students like Kevan overcome financial burdens and achieve their full potential.

Sign up through monthly payroll deduction.

Mirau and Newberry to lead Supporting Our Students campaign

trevor.kenney — Mon, 15 Sep 2014 16:51:38 +0000

Heather Mirau and Dr. Jan Newberry have teamed up on several projects at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in the past, but their current joint effort is one the duo is particularly passionate about: Co-Chairing the 2014-15 Supporting Our Students (SOS) campaign.

Heather Mirau, left, and Dr. Jan Newberry are the Co-Chairs for the 2014-15 Supporting Our Students campaign. Last year, the U of L awarded 2,100 scholarships and bursaries to students, more than $3.5 million in total, and SOS is an essential part of that support.

Newberry, a faculty member in the Department of Anthropology and long-time SOS contributor, says the opportunity to Co-Chair has given her a broader perspective on the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, something she says her counterpart, Mirau, has always had.

“As director of Integrated Planning, Heather has a comprehensive view of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, which as a faculty member, I don’t always see,” says Newberry. “Being Co-Chair of SOS gives me a sense of the U of L on a global scale and how important it is to create a caring university community.”

Last year, the U of L awarded 2,100 scholarships and bursaries to students, more than $3.5 million in total. SOS is an essential part of that support. Participation in the program reached its highest level in 2013, with a total of 377 faculty, staff and retirees supporting the campaign – a number that Mirau and Newberry would like to see increase.

“It doesn’t matter if you give $5 or $100, your participation is what matters,” says Mirau. “Through SOS, we have the opportunity to make a real difference with students and have a positive impact on campus life. SOS donations go directly to students to help pay for books and tuition, enabling them to graduate. With SOS, everybody wins. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ isn’t just a place to attend classes – it’s a community unto itself. We have a responsibility as faculty and staff to help create a positive, caring community.”

Kathy MacFarlane, manager of development programs and a long-time SOS contributor, says that SOS helps to inspire and support student potential, and is a great example of why the U of L is Alberta’s Destination ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

“The U of L is a phenomenal place to be, as a student and as an employee,” says MacFarlane. “If we can show students and each other that we care about our people, that speaks directly to the kind of university the U of L aims to be.”

Among the thousands of recipients of SOS funds is Kevan Bryant (BA/BED ’12), a graduate student completing a Master of Education degree in counselling psychology. Bryant says that the support she received through SOS was game changing on many levels.

“The scholarships I received took a lot of pressure off. I was able to focus on my studies, pursue other interests and avoid working excessive hours while attending school,” says Bryant. “I’m not sure I would have continued with a master’s program if it weren’t for SOS – and it wasn’t only academic achievement I was rewarded for. I received awards for volunteering and leadership as well. SOS made me realize that going the extra mile is really worth it.”

And at the end of the day, that’s what Newberry says SOS is all about.

“We are all here because of students, so it’s only right to support them. I’m happy to support today’s students because they’re the people who will build and shape our future.”

Support our students and contribute to SOS today. Sign up through payroll deduction.

UNews - Kevan Bryant

Counsellors key assets to any well-functioning school

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U of L Scholarship Recipient Kevan Bryant (BA/BEd '12)

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