The document discusses the challenges of transitioning from childhood to adulthood. It notes that young people feel pressure to succeed while lacking life experience, and the journey can be complex. The transition period is when mental health issues often emerge. Promoting positive mental health strategies can help youth develop coping skills and enhance their ability to manage stress, setting them up for success in the future.

2. “The journey from child to adult can be
complex and challenging. Young
people often feel tremendous pressure
to succeed at school, at home and in
social groups. At the same time, they
may lack the life experience that lets
them know that difficult situations will not
last forever.” (CMHA, 2014)

4.  Mental health generally refers to the way a person
thinks, feels, deals with daily living and copes with life
events and stressors.
 It can fluctuate throughout our lives and is strongly
associated with one’s ability to function and enjoy life
(Health Literacy Team, 2014)
 Good mental health would indicate the ability to
handle stress and life events in healthy manner without
(or with minimal) impact on daily functioning (i.e. still
able to manage responsibilities and ADLs)
 Poor mental health is indicated by more significant
impairment in daily life such as with school, family
relationships and social activities(Health Literacy Team, 2014)

5.  Positive mental health has been
described as “the capacity of each and
all of us to feel, think, and act in ways
that enhance our ability to enjoy life and
deal with the challenges we face. It is a
positive sense of emotional and spiritual
wellbeing that respects the importance
of culture, equity, social justice,
interconnections and personal dignity”
(Public Health Agency of Canada, 2006 as cited by Morrison & Peterson, 2013).

6.  social-emotional learning (the way that
children and youth learn and develop their
attitudes and ability to manage their emotions,
set goals, maintain positive relationships and
deal with interpersonal challenges effectively);
 positive youth development (strength-based
approach focused on building confidence,
character, connectedness, competence and
inclusion geared towards all youth, not just
those who are currently “unwell” or “at-risk”);
 resiliency (ability to adapt and handle
challenges and changes);
 focus on protective factors (community
connectedness and family support)
 (Morrison & Peterson, 2013)

7. Positive mental health strategies are thus
linked with mental health promotion
because it:
› helps improve youths’ self-esteems and ability to
cope with daily life
› educates youth about barriers to positive mental
health and well-being
› empowers youth with self-help strategies to set
them up for success
› addresses the present needs of the youth in BC
schools
› build’s emotional resiliency and improves
overall well-being and functioning

9.  Prevents the progression of mental
health challenges from becoming more
serious (i.e. lead to suicide) or
developing into adult mental health
problems
 Reduces the time it takes to recover from
emotional crisis (Health Literacy Team, 2014, p. 6).

10.  50% of all “lifetime cases of mental health
disorders” emerge by the age of 14
 1 in 5 children in BC is currently experiencing
mental health issues serious enough to reduce
their overall ability to function on a daily basis
in school, at home, in the community (Health Literacy
Team, 2014, p. 6)
 Evidence has indicated that school-based
positive mental health strategies have been
effective for preventing and treating
internalizing disorders (mood disorders) and
externalizing disorders (aggression, conduct)
(SBMHSA, 2013)

11.  Suicide is the second leading cause of
death among youth ages 10-24 in
Canada (294 deaths on average per
year).
 Inability to cope and ongoing emotional
distress are risk factors associated with
suicide
 (CMHA, 2014)

12. “youth don’t think
about suicide”
One survey involving 15,000 high
school students in BC found that
16% had seriously considered
suicide and 34% knew someone
who had attempted suicide or died
by suicide
“Talking about suicide will
make a person more likely
to attempt it”
Talking about suicide reduces
the stigma and fear associated
with suicidal thoughts and can
provide relief to the person
feeling suicidal.
“suicide is unexpected
and unavoidable
because the person is
determined to die”
Suicide is most often a process
resulting from multiple factors or
ongoing issues. Learning coping
strategies to manage one’s
feelings during stressful times
reduces risk of suicide at present
and in the future.

13.  Research has shown that most children will
not receive or access services to help with
their mental health difficulties due to:
› social stigma (afraid someone would see them)
› difficulties with accessing resources or not
knowing where to go
› availability of resources
› didn’t want their parents to know
 (SBMHSA Consortium, 2013).

14.  Children are in school for a substantial
portion of their day; therefore by having
mental health services and positive
mental health strategies implemented
within the school these barriers may be
decreased.

15. Furthermore....
Having these programs and strategies in
the schools creates an opportunity for all
students to engage in positive mental
health practices, not only those
identified as having a mental health
problem or those deemed “at risk” of
having a mental health problem (Rowling, 2012 as
cited by SBMHSA Consortium, p. 5).
This way all youth benefit from learning
about positive mental health
 Acts as prevention and intervention for all youth

17. *Based on a survey of over 29,000 BC public
school students in grades 7-12 * (McCreary Centre
Society, 2011)
 Stress, anxiety and despair: 84% indicated
experiencing some stress or pressure in the
past month. 14% reported their stress was
so severe they were unable to work or
function properly
 Self-harm: 22% of females and 12% of males
indicated that they had harmed
themselves on purpose or had engaged in
cutting.

18.  Body image: 1 in 5 females
and 1 in 10 males reported
on the survey that they
were dissatisfied with their
body image
 Behaviours associated with these feelings
that were indicated by survey
respondents were :
› Binge-eating
› Purging
› dieting

19.  *In summary, positive mental health
strategies have resulted in “healthy and
enhanced physical and emotional
developmental outcomes” such as:
› healthy and effective management of emotions
› enhanced ability to cope with changes and
development of problem-solving skills
› reduced high risk behaviours
› increased acceptance of others and
development of meaningful relationships
› increased confidence and academic
achievement and engagement (Morrison & Peterson,
2013)

21. Each school has different needs, strengths,
and limitations; therefore school-specific
strategies should be implemented based
on population need and environmental
support. Other strategies are...

22.  requires a “whole school approach” that addresses
4 areas:
 teaching and learning:
› use of cooperative learning to enhance
interpersonal skills and relationship building;
› having teachers take an autonomy-supportive
approach to teaching to build problem-solving
skills and independence;
› focusing and highlighting students’ strengths
instead of weaknesses to build self-esteem and
confidence.

23.  emotional safety:
› learning students’ names,
› treat students with respect,
› responding to any form of bullying or harassment
 school policy:
› ensuring rights of students are upheld and
supported
› make mental health education a mandatory
part of the curriculum.
 partnership and services:
› building support networks with other students
and teachers
› create a sense of connectedness within the
school and community and families (Morrison & Peterson, 2013)

24.  School-based cognitive and behavioural
programs specifically designed to address
depression, anxiety, aggression and anger
management have proven to be effective
in reducing those symptoms.
Examples are:
› identifying automatic thoughts and how they
connect with feelings and behaviour
› costs – benefits analysis, challenging negative
thoughts and beliefs (“What if …exercises)
› positive reinforcement
› relaxation techniques (meditation, guided
imagery)
(SBMHSA, 2013)

25.  Give youth an opportunity to express
and release stress (exercise, art, teaching
relaxation techniques)
 Encourage and provide peer supports and/or
mentorship programs for those struggling with gender
identity, suicide, substance abuse or any other issue.
 Listen to and respect youth’s feelings. Encourage
them to use their voice and take their concerns
seriously.
 Promote diversity: provide activities or classes that
have more of a diverse population (different cultures,
genders, social groups) and teach about different
cultures.
(McCreary Centre Society, 2011)

26. Educating youth and
giving them the opportunity,
support and skills necessary
to succeed and cope with
the transition into
adulthood promotes positive mental
health in the present and in
the future.
Children are our future so we need to
invest in their chances of success now!!

27.  Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). (2014). Reflections on youth
suicide. Retrieved from
http://www.canadiancrc.com/Youth_Suicide_in_Canada.aspx
 Health Literacy Team. (2014). Stop wondering, start knowing: A mental health
school video resource. Retrieved from
http://keltymentalhealth.ca/sites/default/files/mindcheck-guide-for-
online_oct2014_1.pdf
 McCreary Centre Society (2011). Making the right connections: Promoting positive
mental health among BC youth. Vancouver, BC: McCreary Centre Society.
Retrieved from http://www.mcs.bc.ca/pdf/making_the_right_connections.pdf
 Morrison, W., & Peterson, P. (2013). Schools as a setting for promoting positive
mental health: Better practices and perspectives (2nd 3d.). Retrieved from
http://www.jcsh-cces.ca/upload/JCSH%20Best%20Practice_Eng_Jan21.pdf
 School-Based Mental Health and Substance Abuse (SBMHSA) Consortium. (2013).
School-based mental health in Canada: A final report. Retrieved from
http://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/system/files/private/document/C
hildYouth_School_Based_Mental_Health_Canada_Final_Report_ENG.pdf

29. 1.Was the presenter:
Strongly Disagree Somewhat Agree Strongly
disagree agree
Professional? □ □ □ □ □
Able to answer □ □ □ □ □
questions?
Engaging? □ □ □ □ □
2. Was the information presented relevant to your school/classroom?
□ Strongly disagree
□ Disagree
□ Somewhat
□ Agree
□ Strongly agree
Comments:
3. How important do you feel mental health promotion is?
□ No importance at all
□ Minimal importance
□ Unsure
□ Important
□ Very important

30. 4. How would you rate your students’ mental health?
□ Very unhealthy (unable to function/cope)
□ Unhealthy (disturbing in functioning)
□ Moderate (slight disturbances)
□ Healthy (ability to cope and function)
□ Very healthy (zero concerns and excellent coping and regulating skills)
Comments:
5. How do you feel this presentation could have been improved?
6. Would you recommend this presentation to another school or agency?
□ Yes
□ No
7. Please provide any additional comments or suggestions: