With support from the Canada’s Young Health Program (YHP), in 2012, Physical and Health Education Canada (PHE Canada) initiated a research project to examine child and youth mental health in Canadian schools. The research was intended to inform PHE Canada in the ongoing development of a national strategy to support mental health literacy in school communities. In partnership with Western University, PHE Canada identified gaps in teacher education and needs for supporting positive mental health for teachers and their students.
Our research included:
- A survey of teacher education about mental health in Canada
- A national survey on teacher mental health in Canada
- A detailed evaluation of programs that target general student well-being and specific mental health issues
Three principles drove the development:
- In order to create mentally healthy and engaged classrooms for students, teachers must be supported in striving to promote and maintain their own mental health and well-being.
- Teachers are professionals who contribute to the learning of their colleagues in meaningful and effective ways.
- Teachers and schools need and want access to information that can help them be healthy and create healthy learning and working environments.
The Teach Resiliency site was created in partnership with a team of teachers, administrators, mental health professionals, researchers and students. This team developed tools and resources, created curated resource collections and collaborated with a team from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health to design and build the website.
Goals of Teach Resiliency:
- To support mental health literacy and well-being in school communities.
- To equip teachers and related health and education professionals with quality evidenced-based resources and tools to foster positive mental health and resiliency among students.
- To identify future direction and developments for evidence and school-based health promotion including mental health, prevention of problems and early intervention practices for children and youth.
- To increase awareness and support for improved mental health policies for Canadian schools
We hope this place provides what you need: simple-to-use strategies and tools to assess both resilience needs and resources, information about evidence-based programs to promote and enhance both your own and your students’ mental health, and teacher-to-teacher strategies, tips, and resources.
