School Mental Health Literacy: The Foundation for Youth Mental Health

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 SERVICES

PROVIDERS

PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS

TEACHERSSTUDENT SERVICES PROVIDERS

SCHOOL-BASEDHEALTH CENTRE

PROVIDERS

STUDENTS

MENTAL HEALTH CURRICULUM

GATEKEEPER TRAINING

COMMUNITY

SCHOOL

ADMINISTRATORS

PARENTS

STAKEHOLDERSPOLICY MAKERS



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

http://teenmentalhealth.org/index.php/resources/entries/mental-health-and-high-school-curriculum/

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?


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?


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?


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?


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.


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

http://www.teenmentalhealth.org/

How Can You Implement the Curriculum Guide in your school?

Online supplementary resource –

www.teenmentalhealth.orgTaking It Global: www.tig.org

http://www.teenmentalhealth.org/

http://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)


Figure 2: Mental Health & High School Curriculum Guide Training Results for teachers at Forest Heights Community School (n=29, p<.001)


Figure 3: Mental Health & High School Curriculum Guide Training Results for teachers at Tri-County School Board (n= 17; p<.05)


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)


Figure 5: Mental Health & High School Curriculum Guide Training Results for Teachers at Halifax Regional School Board (n=83; p<.0001)


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

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School Mental Health Literacy: The Foundation for Youth Mental Health