School Mental Health Literacy: The Foundation for Youth Mental Health
Dr. Stan Kutcher and Ms. Yifeng WeiSun Life Financial Chair in Adolescent Mental Health
IWK Health Center and Dalhousie University
Mental Health and High School Curriculum Guide
What is Mental Health Literacy?
Mental health literacy encompasses knowledge and skills that address thebiological, psychological, and social aspects of mental health to increase the understanding of mental health and mental disorders, reduce stigma, help recognize and prevent mental disorders, and facilitate help-seeking behaviors in youth along the pathway to mental health care.
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
PROVIDERS
PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS
TEACHERSSTUDENT SERVICES PROVIDERS
SCHOOL-BASEDHEALTH CENTRE
PROVIDERS
STUDENTS
MENTAL HEALTH CURRICULUM
GATEKEEPER TRAINING
COMMUNITY
SCHOOL
ADMINISTRATORS
PARENTS
STAKEHOLDERSPOLICY MAKERS
MENTAL HEALTH LITERACY
MENTAL HEALTH LITERACY
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
PROVIDERS
PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS
TEACHERSSTUDENT SERVICES PROVIDERS
SCHOOL-BASEDHEALTH CENTRE
PROVIDERS
STUDENTS
MENTAL HEALTH CURRICULUM
GATEKEEPER TRAINING
COMMUNITY
SCHOOL
ADMINISTRATORS
PARENTS
STAKEHOLDERSPOLICY MAKERS
MENTAL HEALTH LITERACY
MENTAL HEALTH LITERACY
School-Based Integrated Pathway to Care Model
Who Needs to be Mental Health Literate?
StudentsTeachersStudent services providersOther school support staffSchool administratorsHealth ProvidersParentsMediaWider Community
Mental Health & High School Curriculum GuideA Mental Health Literacy Program for Students and Teachers
Mental Health & High School Curriculum Guide is the first mental health literacy program to address youth mental health in a systematic manner for Canadian secondary schools, with the focus on students and teachers
What are the Goals and Objectives of the Curriculum Guide?
Promote students’ awareness of mental health and understanding of mental disordersAddress stigma associated with mental illnessFacilitate an environment in which students can maximize their learning Help students develop their abilities to cope with life challenges and stressesIdentify those students in particular need of assistance or supportProvides information about “seeking help”
What does the Curriculum Guide Include?
Part 1: IntroductionPart 2: Teacher self-study materialsPart 3: Student questionnairePart 4: Modules/Lessons (core component)Part 5: Other activities and resources
What does the Curriculum Guide Include?(Core Component)
Module 1: The stigma of mental illnessModule 2: Understanding mental health and mental illnessModule 3: Information on specific mental illnessModule 4: Experiences of mental illnessModule 5: Seeking Help and finding supportModule 6: The importance of positive mental health
Concepts• Stigma hampers the
promotion of mental well-being, the prevention of mental health disorders, and the provision of effective treatment and care.
• Stigma also contributes to the abuse of human rights.
Expanding the concepts• Right to vote?• Strange, bizarre and
violent?• Dangerous or
violent?• Good job and life?• Bad parenting?• Friendship?• Never get well?
MENTAL HEALTH & HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM GUIDE
Module 1- Stigma of mental illness
Please play the video to students and use other activities such as drama, art work, role play to engage
students
Concepts• Introduction to the
basics of brain functions
• Concepts of mental health, mental disorders/illnesses
• Complexities of the causes of mental disorders/illnesses
• Major mental disorders/illnesses in adolescents
Expanding the concepts• The relationship
between the brain and the body?
• The role of the frontal lobe?
• The brain and the functioning of the heart, lung and fingers?
• The brain being sick?
MENTAL HEALTH & HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM GUIDE
Module 2- Understanding mental health and mental illness
Please play PowerPoint presentations to students and use other supplementary activities such as drama, art work,
role play to engage students
Concepts• Relationship between
mental illnesses/disorders and brain functions
• Understanding about symptoms, causes, treatments and other supports for specific mental disorders/illnesses
Expanding the concepts• Schizophrenia, a split
personality?• Mood fluctuate naturally?• Panic attacks comes on
suddenly and last days?• Suicide not related to
mental health?• Anxiety disorders
responds to real danger?• Self-harm may lead to
death?
MENTAL HEALTH & HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM GUIDE
Module 3 – Information on specific mental illnesses
Please play PowerPoint presentations to students and use other supplementary activities such as drama, art work, role play to engage students
Concepts• Mental
illnesses/disorders can impact a person’s life
• Seeking help and proper treatment is important.
Expanding the concepts• Most people who
have a mental illness get well and stay well with treatment?
MENTAL HEALTH & HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM GUIDE
Module 4 – Experiences of mental illness
Please play the video to students and use other activities such as drama, art work, role play to engage students
Concepts• Getting help early
increases the chances that a person will make a full recovery from mental illness
• Provision of resources for help.
Expanding the concepts• Vitamins and
meditation, good treatments for most mental illnesses?
• Treatment to relieve symptoms, restore functioning, and promote recovery?
MENTAL HEALTH & HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM GUIDE
Part 4: Module 5 – Seeking help and finding support
Teachers may want to bring in a guidance councilor, a school psychologist, and other local resources to talk to students. A video is also available.
• Characteristics of an emotionally healthy person
• Strategies to enhance personal mental health (e.g. stress management techniques).
Student engagement is important to create useful strategies to remain mentally healthy.
MENTAL HEALTH & HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM GUIDE
Module 6 – The importance of positive mental health
How does the Curriculum Guide Fit in Secondary schools?
Is designed for Grade 9-10 students and teachersImplementation format is flexible:
Teaching in a blocked chunk of time (e.g. 1.5 hours everyday for one week)Integrating the various components in the existing curriculum and teaching over the course of a semesterOther strategies based on the individual school needs
Curriculum duration: approximately 6-8 hoursCan be taught in the existing curriculum, e.g. Healthy LivingSupplementary online resources – Taking It Global (www.tigweb.org) and www.teenmentalhealth.orgIs sustainable
How Can You Implement the Curriculum Guide in your school?
Online supplementary resource –
www.teenmentalhealth.orgTaking It Global: www.tig.org
Social Network for Social Goodwww.tigweb.org
Suggested Steps to Implement the Curriculum
Step 1• Set up support system
(Example):• The team received support
from NS Department of Education (NS Provincial Policy)
• HRSB Student Services set up the infrastructure for curriculum implementation in HRSB
Step 2• Determine target grade
and class (Example):• Grade 9 was the best fit
based on the decision of the NS Department of Education
• Provincial “Healthy Living” outcomes aligned with those of the curriculum and became the curriculum “home”
Step 3• Teacher Training
Recruitment (Example):• HRSB recruited all 86 Grade
9 teachers who are currently teaching the Healthy Living class.
Suggested Steps to Implement the Curriculum
Step 4• Teacher training on the
Curriculum (Example):• Three one-day training
periods were provided to 86 educators from 37 HRSB schools on January 9, 16 and 30, 2012
Step 5• Training Evaluation
(Example):• All participants were
administered pre and post tests on mental health knowledge and attitudes towards mental illness
• All participants also provided feedback and comments on the training session
Step 6 • Implementing the
curriculum in the classroom
• Student evaluation
How to Implement the Curriculum Guide in Secondary Schools?
Start with teacher mental health literacy:
Self study – self evaluationOn-site teacher trainingOnline e-learning modules are being developed
Curriculum Training Objectives
To improve educators’ knowledge of the Curriculum and its contents, increase knowledge regarding mental health and mental health illness, and enhance positive attitudes towards mental illness
Curriculum Training Content
To examine the basic concepts of mental health, the epidemiology of mental disorders that typically onset in adolescence and strategies to fight stigma associated with mental illness
To reviews the six modules of the Curriculum, supplementary educational resources and teaching strategies for effectively addressing mental health literacy
LESSONS LEARNED
Discussion and Conclusions
The Curriculum training was effective in improving mental health knowledge of students and educators and improving their attitudes towards mental illnessEducators self reported that they felt well prepared and ready to implement the Curriculum in their classroomThe Curriculum training set a strong foundation for educators to work with practitioners to improve youth mental health along the pathway to care.
Curriculum ImplementationPreliminary Data
Figure 1: Mental Health & High School Curriculum Guide Training Results for Students at Forest Heights Community School (n=74, p<.001)
Curriculum ImplementationPreliminary Data
Figure 2: Mental Health & High School Curriculum Guide Training Results for teachers at Forest Heights Community School (n=29, p<.001)
Curriculum ImplementationPreliminary Data
Figure 3: Mental Health & High School Curriculum Guide Training Results for teachers at Tri-County School Board (n= 17; p<.05)
Curriculum ImplementationPreliminary Data
Figure 4: Mental Health & High School Curriculum Guide Training Results for Students at Tri-County School Board (n=35 (English); n=41 (French); p<.05)
Curriculum ImplementationPreliminary Data
Figure 5: Mental Health & High School Curriculum Guide Training Results for Teachers at Halifax Regional School Board (n=83; p<.0001)
Curriculum ImplementationPreliminary Data
Figure 6: Stigmatizing Attitudes Following the Mental Health & High School Curriculum Training at Halifax Regional School Board (n=83; p<0.0001)
Who would be Interested in the Curriculum?
Partners in planning or delivering the program Secondary schools or school boards Ministry/Department of Health Ministry of Education Funding agencies Program participants Program staff Program developer Organizations offering similar programs
Sun Life Financial ChairIn Adolescent Mental Health
The End
For more information visit
WWW.TEENMENTALHEALTH.ORG