Mental Well-Being | Huron Perth Public Health

Mental health is important for overall health and wellness, and there are many ways to promote mental health in schools and classrooms. As an educator, you play an important role in fostering a learning environment that is conducive for a mentally healthy school and classroom where all students feel like they belong. Ensuring that classrooms and school communities are safe, welcoming and inclusive contributes to students' social-emotional well-being and readiness to learn.

If you are looking for tips on how to address certain issues or topics, reach out to the school health team using our request form.

For a list of local mental health supports, go to Mental Health and Well-Being.

Elementary

School Mental Health Ontario helps school districts enhance student mental health through the use of evidence-based strategies and services.

Secondary

MentalHealthLiteracy.org provides a variety of resources including:
- An Educators section with numerous programs that are customizable to the needs of educators and students
- The Mental Health and High School Curriculum Guide provides evidence based online modules proven to increase the understanding of mental health and mental disorders, decrease the stigma of mental disorders and enhance help seeking.

All grades

Kids Help Phone offers e-mental health services with a variety of resources including a phone/text number for one to one crisis support.
Positive Mental Health Toolkit was developed by the Pan-Canadian Joint Consortium for School Health to promote positive mental health practices and perspectives within the school environment.
School Mental Health Ontario offers an Educators and Student Support Staff section with free online courses, resources to support learning and teaching, and a resource guide to support student mental health and well-being.
Wayfinder is a tool for K-12 educators that gathers mental health learning resources in an easy-to-use and sequenced way. This digital, clickable guide offers a variety of mental health lessons and learning activities organized by grade that support mentally healthy learning environments, develop mental health literacy, and promote strategies to support mental health.

Body Image

You can support students to build body appreciation. When students feel good about their bodies, they have better mental and physical health outcomes. Body dissatisfaction is a risk factor for poorer relationships, poorer self-care, higher-risk behaviours (e.g., substance use), and eating disorders.

· Being Me, Being Us | teaching tool for educators and school professionals to learn, talk, and teach about body image for students from Healthy Schools BC (Grade 4-7)

· Body Kind | BE REAL™’s international, evidence-based curriculum is freely available to educators after they have completed the free online training video and quiz for teachers. The materials are divided into three 50 minutes lessons for students. (Grade 9-12)

· Eating Disorder Ontario (EDO) - Prevention | provides resources for professional development, awareness, adult influencer training and support to change conversations to prevent body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. Contact your school board for access to the Media Literacy lesson plans. (Grade 4-6)

· NEDIC Outreach and Education | The National Eating Disorder Information Centre provides community education programming (virtually outside of the GTA) to present to teachers and school staff, parents, and students. Beyond Images curriculum is available for Grade 4-8. (Grade 4-12)

· MediaSmarts provides lessons and resources for teachers. Search body image for activities on teaching about body image.