Cottonwood Heights and Holladay families can sign up for free evening classes on anxiety, depression, grief and internet safety through the Canyons Family Center, a Canyons School District program based at Mt. Jordan Middle School in Sandy.

The center launched its fall session the week of Monday, Sept. 7, with courses held Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. Every class is free.

The program covers emotional intelligence, anger management, self-esteem, navigating a parent's divorce and more. Parenting classes for families with children dealing with anxiety or ADHD are also on the schedule. New for the 2026-27 school year: a course on internet safety for students and their families.

Classes are grouped by age. Susan Leete, a Canyons district counselor who teaches emotional intelligence to kindergartners through second-graders, said families carry the lessons home. Parents tell her they pull out class handouts during tough moments.

"We had a big meltdown last night so we pulled out the paper from your class and we chose which coping skill to use," one parent told Leete, she said in a FOX 13 interview.

Results from the Student Health and Risk Prevention Survey, known as the SHARP Survey, show more Canyons students reported no symptoms of anxiety or depression compared to two years earlier. Reports of suicidal thoughts, planning and attempts all declined, according to the district. The SHARP Survey is an anonymous statewide survey given every two years, with parental permission, to students in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12.

Ellie Bechard, director of the Canyons Family Center, said district-wide anxiety and depression numbers are improving. She noted that students with severe mental health needs still require support even as overall figures get better.

The center's reach extends into Cottonwood Heights. At a July 21 Cottonwood Heights City Council work session, Canyons district Public Engagement Coordinator Susan Edwards listed the Family Center among services available to local families. She also noted that Brighton High School's teen center served 1,002 students in the prior school year, 580 of whom were repeat students, according to council minutes.

Classes run throughout the school year. Families can register at the Canyons Family Center page on the district website.