While we encourage educators to facilitate all activities (which range from 25 to 50 minutes to complete), we do understand that making the time can be difficult. There is thus no obligation to have completed any or all the activities before participating in a session with the counsellor. Prior to your session, if you let us know that you were unable to complete the lessons, we can direct you to shorter resources (a tip sheet, for example) that you can use to prepare the class so that you can still make the most of your time with the counsellor. You are also welcome to use any of the activities as a follow-up instead!
On this page
- Introduction
- Kids Help Phone's Educator Toolkit for promoting Mental Health Literacy within classrooms
- What are the goals of the Counsellor in the Classroom Program?
- What happens after I register for the program?
- What happens during the virtual call with a counsellor
- You can fill out the form below to submit a registration for the Counsellor in the Classroom Program!
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Contact the team
Are you an educator? Check out Counsellor in the Classroom!
Kids Help Phone’s Counsellor in the Classroom Program promotes the discussion of mental health and well-being among young people. The program offers three modules:
- Mental Health and Help-Seeking, available to students in Grades 4-12
- Online Safety, available to students in Grades 6-8
- Stress and Anxiety, available to students in Grades 9-12
Classes that participate will learn about mental health, Kids Help Phone’s services and how / where to seek support. If you’re an educator for students in Grades 4 through 12 in Canada, keep reading for more information about this free program and how to register.
The counsellor did a FANTASTIC job of allowing the class to feel heard and they physically showed a weight being lifted off their shoulders, knowing that there was a safe place to bring their emotions and big worries. THANK YOU!!
— Participating educator, November 2025
Kids Help Phone’s Educator Toolkit for promoting Mental Health Literacy within classrooms
Kids Help Phone’s free Counsellor in the Classroom program makes it easy to support mental health literacy within your Grade 4-12 classroom.
What are the goals of the Counsellor in the Classroom Program?
The program offers three modules: Mental Health and Help-Seeking (Grades 4-12), Online Safety (Grades 6-8) and Stress and Anxiety (Grades 9-12). These modules are independent of one another and can be completed in any order based on your classroom needs. However, we typically recommend beginning with the Mental Health and Help-Seeking module if you plan to participate in more than one module.
Each module is divided into two parts. The first part includes classroom activities led by the educator. The second part includes a 45-minute phone or video call conversation between the class and one of Kids Help Phone’s professional counsellors. The program will help students:
- gain a better understanding of mental health and well-being
- identify how they can seek support
- feel more confident in seeking support
- foster a space that feels supportive and destigmatizing
Having an actual counsellor to talk to the students about KHP is great for students to learn about another tool to help them out if they feel they don’t have anywhere to turn. This is my fourth time having Counsellor in the Classroom and the students are always receptive to it. Thank you for providing this service to the students.
— Participating educator, February 2026
What happens after I register for the program?
Upon confirmed registration in the program, educators will be invited to select a session date for their call with the counsellor and will receive a digital program package including:
- an educational resource guide for the appropriate grade and module, including:
- lesson plans related to the topic of the module
- optional extension activities
- debrief suggestions (e.g. what to do after the call with a counsellor, etc.)
- a glossary of terms for young people
- worksheets for youth
- an overview of Kids Help Phone’s services
- slide decks to support lesson plans
- digital promotional materials
I really loved when the counsellor talked to the class. it made me feel like could talk to someone if i needed to talk to someone. it made me feel like i was in a safe place.
— Participating student, April 2026
What happens during the virtual call with a counsellor
Here’s what you and your students can expect during the session with a counsellor:
- The counsellor will share about themselves, Kids Help Phone, our services and the youth we support.
- The counsellor will prompt a conversation about the topic of the session – for example, exploring why it can be hard to seek help sometimes, discussing coping strategies for when you’re experiencing stress or exploring examples of possible online conflicts and how you could respond.
- The counsellor may speak to common questions they’ve been asked by young people in previous sessions.
- The call will invite student participation and there will be an opportunity for the class to ask the counsellor questions.
You can fill out the form below to submit a registration for the Counsellor in the Classroom Program!
Frequently Asked Questions
Kids Help Phone’s Counsellor in the Classroom program promotes the discussion of mental health and well-being among young people. It is a free program available to students in Grades 4 through 12 across Canada!
Curriculum & Resources
Students are free to ask any questions about Kids Help Phone, how to find resources, how they can go about asking for help, what it’s like to be a counsellor and any questions about mental health, well-being and self-care. The only reminder we ask educators to share with their students is that while students will be meeting with a counsellor, this is not a counselling session; so, to protect their privacy, the questions cannot be personal to the student or include any sensitive information. When brainstorming questions, educators are asked to explain to students that the questions should be broad (for example, instead of asking about one’s own anxiety attacks, students can phrase it to be a general inquiry about resources for those who have anxiety). Should students want to discuss specific, personal issues, they should be encouraged to connect with a trusted adult in their school / community and/or to call / text Kids Help Phone themselves.
Technology & Logistics
It is best for you to set up the video conference link yourself and share it with us, as there may be school board and school-specific restrictions with certain videoconference platforms that can make schools unable to join the session if the counsellor is the host of the meeting. For that reason, we ask you to set up the meeting link through your accounts and platforms to ensure a seamless connection and session.
The best set-up for your class would be one where the students can both see and hear the counsellor AND the counsellor can both see and hear your class (for example, with the counsellor projected on to a screen and the camera / microphone on your class). When the counsellor can see and hear the students, it makes it easier for them to gauge how engaged the students are and helps them adapt to your students’ needs. Importantly, testing the set-up for your class prior to the session would be beneficial to ensure that there are no last-minute connectivity or technical problems. Of course, if this is not possible, our counsellors are flexible and great sessions can also happen over the phone!
Scheduling
We try to respond to all registrations (even if you’re not eligible to participate), within 2-3 business days. If you have not heard from us after a week, please check your junk / spam folder to see if there were any missed communications. If you do not have an email from us in your junk / spam folder, please reach out to us at [email protected] and we will follow-up with you about your registration.
We have a limit of 50 students per session. Due to the nature of mental health conversations, it is best for the number of students to be smaller, both so that the students feel more comfortable asking questions and speaking openly, and so that the counsellor has the time to hear and answer their questions. Because of this, we do not offer one session for the entire school, but we’re happy to set-up multiple sessions (either by grade, or by class depending on student body size) so that everyone can benefit and have a chance to speak with the counsellor.
Absolutely! We strive to make sure that the program materials and sessions are welcoming and inclusive, and so we would be more than happy to hear about any student(s) and accommodation to make adjustments, if possible. The counsellor who facilitates the session for your students will also be informed so that the class discussion and call take into consideration your students’ needs.
For any questions, concerns, or last-minute adjustments, please connect with the Counsellor in the Classroom team via email: [email protected].
Contact the team
If you have questions or would like to know more about the Counsellor in the Classroom program, please submit your request here. The Counsellor in the Classroom team can arrange a call or video chat to speak more.
