What are Some Ways to

Provide Mental Health

Support for Students and
Teachers in Schools?

Jen Heninger, Caymen Sommerfeld, Emily Tremblay, Torrin White Ed 2500

Inquiry Question #1- How can mental health
affect student learning?

Essential Question #1- How can we increase mental health

literacy within schools?

Essential Question #2- How can Student mental health be

improved outside of schools (home/ community)?
Introduction
Limited knowledge Teachers are
unprepared to provide necessary
mental health support.
Lack of availability and accessibility
of local mental health assistance
leaves teachers with limited
solutions.
Educators are often required to act
as the first line of prevention for
mental health issues.
Issues
Due to lack of confidence, school
personnel often have difficulty identifying
students with mental health issues prior
to major incidents of problem behaviour.
Mental health disorders are associated
with lower grades due to insufficient
resources and attention.
Only 32 percent of students with mental
health disorders pursue post secondary
education.
School-Based Integrated Pathways to Care Model
(Wei, Kutcher, & Szumilas, 2011)

1. Unites schools with health care providers to

better meet mental health care needs of young
people.

2. Go-To Educator Training is based on the observation that in each school, there are
educators, teachers, student service providers (i.e. guidance counselors, psychologists,
social workers, nurses, etc.), principals, and other staff members with whom students form
good relationships, naturally go to for help, and feel comfortable talking about their problems
who can be trained to recognize mental disorders, link the students to care providers which
may promote early identification, leading to earlier effective intervention (Wei, Y. and
Kutcher, S., 2014).
 Improves teachers
and students mental
health literacy by:

Learning how to improve and

maintain mental health

Understanding mental

disorders and treatment

Decreasing stigma

Enhancing self-seeking efficacy

(know how and when to get help
and develop skills)

http://teenmentalhealth.org/curriculum/
Programs and Teacher Resources
Why is it important?
Students feel more engaged
Students feel as if they have something
to contribute
Teachers are usually the first line of
intervention
Teachers will teach more effectively
 Programs
BC Program Other Programs
Focus on student-teacher Bounce Back
relationships
Program Achieve
Utilize students strengths and
unique perspectives Friends for Life
Use interactive games and Friendly Schools, Friendly
activities to engage students Families
interest in school
Have counsellors be available KidsMatter
to advise teachers Stop-Think-Do
 Parent Involvement
Home Life Community/ School
Healthy and positive Collaborating with community to
seek/ utilize resources
environment needed
2 way information sharing between
school and parents
Community Involvement
Community resources such as:

Anger Management programs/ strategies

Needs assessment of childs emotional state

Emotional support

Counselling for parents

 CAPE MODEL
Discusses the benefits and the ways to use resources that should help
improve childs mental health/ educational outcomes

CONNECT- In children's academics

ATTEND- Programmes

PARTICIPATE- In parenting programmes

ENACT- Use practices at home

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnNbN1p3
Rwc&feature=youtu.be
(3:22)
 Question Time
How can mental health affect student learning?

In the School-based Program to Care, who can be trained to support

students with potential mental health issues?

How can schools provide a more comprehensive support system to

students?

What are some programs that schools can implement to improve mental
health awareness and wellness?

Why is parent and community involvement so critical?

British Columbia Teachers Federation (2015) Addressing youth mental health issues in BCs K-12 public schools: a BCTF
submission. A brief to the select standing committee on children and youth from the British Columbia teachers
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12+public+schoolsd&id=ED573417

Frauenholtz, Susan, Amy N. Mendenhall, Jungrim Moon; Role of School Employees Mental Health Knowledge in
Interdisciplinary Collaborations to Support the Academic Success of Students Experiencing Mental Health Distress. Child
Sch 2017; 39 (2): 71-79. doi: 10.1093/cs/cdx004

Hackett, L., Theodosiou, L., Bond, C., Blackburn, C., Spicer, F., & Lever, R. (2010). Understanding the mental health needs of
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Helen Askell-Williams & Michael J. Lawson (2013) Teachers knowledge and confidence for promoting positive mental health
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Kutcher, S., & Wei, Y. (2013). Challenges and solutions in the implementation of the school-based pathway to care model: The
lessons from nova scotia and beyond. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 28(1), 90-102. Retrieved from
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Kutcher, S., Wei, Y., & Szumilas, M. (2011). Comprehensive school mental health: An integrated School-based pathway to
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Piotrowska, P. J., Tully, L. A., Lenroot, R., Kimonis, E., Hawes, D., Moul, C., Frick, P. J., Anderson, V., & Dadds, M. R. (2017).
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Wei, Y. and Kutcher, S. (2014), Innovations in Practice: Go-to Educator Training on the mental health competencies of
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