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Presenter
- About:
Sheryl started her teaching career as a Special Education teacher in Zimbabwe, Africa, where she lived for three years. She brings broad teaching knowledge from working with elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and adult education students. Sheryl is the author of five mental wellness journal workbooks, five booklets, and a guidebook on supporting students, a member of the International Association of Youth Mental Health, International Network for School Attendance, International Association for Suicide Prevention, and other organizations focused on youth mental health, suicide prevention, and school attendance. Sheryl is a passionate educator known for inspiring change.
Sheryl is the Executive Director and Founder of Youth Mental Health Canada (YMHC), an organization she founded 11 years ago. The impetus to form an action group and later, YMHC, resulted from the lack of support given to students who could not access and manage education and the lack of education and action in schools on child and youth mental health issues. YMHC is based in Hamilton at the Workers Arts and Heritage Centre. We are not funded by the government or by grant foundations.
Sheryl has worked on school phobia issues for over 20 years, contributing to provincial and national change in education to support students with mental health challenges and disabilities, conducting the first national survey on school phobia, avoidance, and absenteeism with 519 respondents and 400 stories, wrote a guidebook on supporting students with school phobia for families and schools, and provides national and international workshops, presentations, and courses on school-wide strategies. Before working on school phobia issues, she was a Stay-in-School Coordinator/Career Counselor.
