Mental health literacy is the knowledge and understanding of how to develop and maintain mental well-being, identify risk factors and signs of mental health challenges, access help when needed, and reduce stigma.
Helping teach students mental health literacy can be best accomplished by engaging students in thoughtful discussions, and encouraging students to think critically about their current beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours. This conversation can be best facilitated by caring adults who connect with students regularly (like teachers or counsellors). There are a number of resources, curriculum-linked lesson plans, and toolkits that you can use to have these conversations, while increasing your own knowledge with the subject material. Below are a few resources for school professionals to facilitate these discussions.
Mental Health Literacy Resources and Curriculum for the Classroom
TeachBC
Online resource of teaching materials, lessons and research relevant to the K-12 BC curriculum. Teachers can search for mental health resources by subject, grade, language and more.
Everyday Mental Health Classroom Resource
This resource is designed to support elementary educators (K-8) in this role by offering a repository of high-quality everyday mental health practices that can be easily incorporated into classroom routines.
Foundry Educational Resources and Workshops
Visit this Foundry page for school professionals, where you'll learn more about mental health resources and curriculum options for high school students.
Healthy Schools BC
A list of programs and supports for positive mental health, substance use, healthy living and school connectedness.