MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION
MENTAL HEALTH IS HEALTH:
Teachers are responsible for equipping students with the skills and strategies to regularly care and monitor their own mental health. This web-based project aims to cultivate a space where mental health education can be prioritized, and open and honest discussions surrounding how it can be holistically integrated into classrooms can be meaningfully fostered.
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TEACHERS AS LEADERS IN MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION:
A single manifestation of mental illness does not exist, and rather it takes various forms. Therefore it is essential that all students (regardless if they experience a form of mental illness of not) must be aware of how they can support those who live with these exceptionalities, while also be equipped with the skills to regularly care for their own mental health themselves (Ministry of Education, 2013). While teachers are not trained mental health professionals, they can facilitate discussions that guide students to better understand their own mental health, encouraging them to reflect on what they need, and most importantly, understanding when it’s necessary to seek professional help (Ministry of Education, 2013).
DELIVERING A HOLISTIC MENTAL HEALTH CURRICULUM:
Delivering a robust mental health curriculum requires more than content-based knowledge and relies heavily on experiential learning experiences (Chao & Stovel, 2002). Teaching mental health through holistic learning methods will tap into the students’ MIND, BODY and SOUL. This authentic delivery allows students to go beyond mere understanding of mental health as a topic, and rather as something that is felt on physical, intellectual, social, emotional and spiritual levels. Without navigating into these areas of learning, students are not able to truly ground their thoughts and ideas to make them personal and meaningful (Gross & Gross, 2016).
TEACHING THE MIND, BODY, AND SOUL:
Thus, through HOLISTIC methods of teaching mental health education, students will hopefully broaden their understanding by exploring these holistic channels that create deeper, stronger roots. Mental health should not be a stigmatized topic, but rather an ongoing discussion prevalent in all classrooms that help all students navigate who they are, what they need, and how they can grow and flourish.