Easing students' mental health
It appears that mental health among school children is worsening. In the United Kingdom alone, more than 850 000 pupils may have a diagnosable mental condition, yet most do not receive the needed support.The EU-funded project 'Promoting mental health in schools: Building a multi-level, cross national framework' (PMHS) addressed these needs. The goal of the three-member project was to establish an international research consortium focused on the title issue. In addition, the group devised intervention strategies. The project ran for two years to the end of 2013. Project work consisted mainly of research visits to other partner locations, and to two affiliate university partners in Australia. During the first round of visits, researchers established the views about mental health among students, school staff and parents. Based on these attitudes, combined with school visits and studies of teacher education, PMHS evaluated various programmes. Further studies involved stakeholder interviews and field observations. The investigations were intended to determine what services are provided to students, and to document school policies for inter-agency cooperation. Additional goals included identifying a school provision model for promoting mental health, and assessing how partnerships between organisations and parents affect student experience. The results highlighted a need for integrated approaches to mental health at all levels and across the entire curriculum. This would require adequate resources and trained staff. PMHS also outlined targeted school-based interventions for students in difficulty, in conjunction with professionals. The project recommended greater emphasis on mental health during initial teacher training, and attention to staff and parents' mental health. Lastly, the consortium recommended assessment and monitoring of programmes by the school community to ensure applicability. PMHS disseminated its findings through various conference presentations and peer-reviewed papers. The project plans to compile its work into book form, which is expected to impact mental health practice in schools and foster further research.
Keywords
Schools, students, mental health, targeted intervention, teacher training