definitions of mental health
Supporting Children’s Mental Health – from an Educator’s Perspective
Submitted by:
Dr. Maria Kokai, C. Psych.
Chief Psychologist
Toronto Catholic District School Board
January 2014
As stated by Peter Whelley and his colleagues;
“Children come to school each day with more than their lunch and backpack. They bring a myriad of life factors that shape their learning and development. These influences range from family issues, health, and culture, to behaviour, learning style, and abilities. Virtually all are related to mental health.”
2003, P. Whelley, NCSP, G. Cash, NCSP, and D. Bryson, NCSP. National Association of School Psychologists, http://www.nasponline.org/resources/handouts/abcs_handout.pdf
While children can drop and leave their backpack in their cubby or locker, they have no choice than to carry the weight of their emotional “baggage”, no matter where they are. While sitting in the classroom and expected to learn, youngsters may be dealing with a range of psychological problems; some being directly affected by mental illness, some indirectly, through the struggles of a parent, a sibling or other family member.
The link between poor mental health and poor school achievement has been demonstrated by research.
Quoting Whelley and his colleagues again:
“Failure to address children’s mental health needs is linked to poor academic performance, behaviour problems, school violence, dropping out, substance abuse, special education referral, suicide, and criminal activity.”
“Family is the first source of support for a child’s mental health. However, the increased stress and fracturing of life today make it imperative that schools partner with parents to help children thrive. Indeed, schools are excellent places to promote good mental health. Children spend a significant amount of time there and, as trained caring adults, educators have the opportunity to observe and address their needs. Doing so effectively requires developing the capacity both to reinforce children’s natural mental health strengths and to respond to children suffering from the more acute mental health disorders that we see on the rise today.”
Indeed, because children and adolescents spend most of their day at school, schools provide ideal settings for promoting good mental health and addressing mental health problems.
Typically, schools would have access to mental health professionals like social workers and school psychologists (meaning psychologists and psychological associates in Ontario) who are familiar with the students, parents, and school staff.
Mental health services by these professionals focus on the child within the school context, in collaboration with; school staff, families, and community agencies – all part of the same team.
In the context of collaboration in focusing on the child, each member of the team plays a key role:
Educators need to be able to notice and identify signs of mental health problems, and support the young person in a caring and sensitive way, while sharing the concerns with parents and school-based mental health professionals as appropriate.
Although teachers are not mental health professionals and are not expected to (and neither should they) try to diagnose a problem, they should be able to recognize signs of mental health problems, and know how and when to contact a mental health professional.
A lot of progress has been made in increasing mental health awareness and “mental health literacy” within the education system in the province of Ontario in the past 3 years, thanks to the Ministry of Education’s mental health initiatives.
Parents have a critical role in enabling and facilitating access to appropriate mental health support for the child. On the one hand, reaching out to the school, and allowing the sharing of information between school and family is crucial for initiating support. On the other hand, school-based mental health professionals need parent permission to provide service to a student. With these conditions in place, the team can work on building in supports for the child both in his/her school and family setting.
School-based mental health professionals (school psychologists, social workers, and guidance counsellors) offer services that “range from prevention and skills development to intervention and evaluation, referral and collaboration, and consultation and counselling.” www.nasponline.org © 2006, National Association of School Psychologists
Community agencies provide families with services that are critical when supporting students who have severe needs. Mental health professionals in the community (within hospitals, community clinics and mental health agencies) are important partners and need to be in regular communication with the school team in order to more effectively support the child.
How can school psychologists help?
School psychologists, as members of the school team, “are specially trained to link mental health to learning and behaviour” and to “provide mental health services that address needs at home and school to help students succeed academically, emotionally, and socially.” (http://www.nasponline.org/advocacy/mhbrochure.aspx )
School Psychologists offer a range of services, such as:
Consultation:
• Exploring with school staff members and parents the reasons why a student is experiencing difficulty;
• Making recommendations for prevention, remediation, intervention and treatment based on formal assessments and/or consultations;
• Communicating and sharing information with other professionals both within the Board and in the community regarding the needs of students, etc.
Assessment:
• Assessing students’ academic, cognitive, behavioural and social-emotional functioning in the context of the various factors affecting learning, behaviour and development;
• Diagnosing disorders based on assessment and recommending related intervention; Collaborating with parents, teachers, and other school personnel to support the student, etc.
Intervention and Prevention:
• Individual psychological counselling to students experiencing emotional / social difficulties;
• Group intervention;
• Social-emotional learning programs to promote resilience and coping skills; Developing strategies to address students’ behavioural or social needs at home or at school;
• Assisting parents and older students in finding appropriate resources for further diagnosis and treatment, as needed;
• Jointly with others, providing training in skills such as mental health related prevention /intervention, etc.
Source: Psychology Services Toronto Catholic District School Board –
http://www.tcdsb.org/ProgramsServices/BoardServices/psychologicalservices/Pages/default.aspx
Related online resources:
School Psychologists: Providing Mental Health Services to Improve the Lives and Learning of Children and Youth
http://www.nasponline.org/advocacy/mhbrochure.aspx
Supporting Children’s Mental Health: Tips for Parents and Educators
http://www.nasponline.org/resources/mentalhealth/mhtips.aspx
The ABCs of Mental Health
http://www.hincksdellcrest.org/ABC/Welcome
Association of Chief Psychologists with Ontario School Boards
http://www.acposb.on.ca/
Child and Youth Mental Health Information Centre Network
http://cymhin.offordcentre.com/index.php
The Ontario Psychological Association- Online referral Service
http://opajoomla.knowledge4you.ca/index.php/findpsychologist
The Psychology Foundation of Canada
http://www.psychologyfoundation.org/
Children’s Mental Health Ontario
Kids Help Phone – Teens
http://www.kidshelpphone.ca/Teens/home.aspx
Psychology Help Center – American Psychological Association
http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/index.aspx
Psychology Services – Toronto Catholic District School Board
http://www.tcdsb.org/ProgramsServices/BoardServices/psychologicalservices/Pages/default.aspx
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