Mental Health Matters

1
Mental Health Matters!!!

• Lynn Tonking
• T.I.C Health
• Diocesan School for Girls

2
WHY?

• Mental health is as important as physical health
  to the overall well-being of individuals,
  societies and countries
• Mental and behavioural disorders are common,
  affecting more than 25 of all people at some
  time during their lives
• According to W.H.O Mental Health has been
  neglected for too long.

3
Health Promoting Schools
4
In a Health Promoting School, emphasis is placed
on

• the importance of an environment which is safe,
  physically and emotionally, for all of its
  members
• formal and informal Curriculum including the
  implementation of a comprehensive Health and
  Physical Education Curriculum
• a school climate/ethos that cares for and values
  all those who are involved with the school.

5
Model for whole-school mental health promotion

• Entire school
  Whole school
• Community
  community
• All students teachers
  Part of general
• 
  curriculum
• 20-30 of students
  Students needing
• 
  additional help in
  school
• 
  Students needing additional
• 
  help
• WHO IS INVOLVED?
  LEVEL OF INTERVENTION
  

Create environment
Education
Interventions
Treatment
6
Mental Health at Diocesan

• 2002 2003 Mental Health Professional
  Development Contract
• A government initiative set up by the Ministry of
  Education, whose focus is to develop and improve
  the mental health of participating schools.
• 2004, 2005, 2006

7
Identifying an issue
ACTION COMPETENCE LEARNING PROCESS
8
Introducing the contract to the staff!!

• Introduction and purpose
• Contract overview
• Mental Health Reflection activity
• Fun things in my life
• Mental Health what does it mean?
• Metaphor activity
• Group questions

9

• Mental Health is about acquiring the emotional
  resilience to deal with the ups and downs
• From Mental Health Campaign,
• Herald Sun, 1999

10
Metaphor Activity

• How could you depict the mental health status of
  your staff/school in a pictorial form?
• Consider a metaphor which reflects the school
  community and how it currently functions. eg.
  our school is a box of chocolates
• Think of all the people that contribute to the
  well-being of the school (Caretaker, Principal,
  Board, Nurse etc)

11
Questions to think about when creating your
metaphor

• Is your school a friendly welcoming place for all
  students, staff, parents and wider school
  community?
• Does your school recognise and allow for the
  importance of relationships for your staff and
  students - with friends and with teachers?

12
Questions to think about when creating your
metaphor

• Do all students and staff feel safe in your
  school environment, both emotionally and
  physically?
• Is your school informed about, and sensitive to,
  cultural issues relevant to staff and students?

13
Group Questions

• The resilience of staff is important. What
  suggestions do you have to improve this?
• Suggest strategies that may be used to overcome
  the challenges to the wellbeing of staff.
• How could school support the mental and emotional
  wellbeing of the staff?
• What creates a sense of belonging within your
  school community? Suggestions?

14
Skeleton

• The School is the body.
• What part of the body are you?

15
Skeleton

• A healthy functioning body needs to value all
  parts

16

• Introduction of the concept of resiliency
• Staff resiliency
• Student resiliency
• What is a resilient adolescent?
• How to build resiliency
• Resiliency messages in the classroom

17
Resiliency

• Resiliency is our inborn capacity for
  self-righting
• Resilience is not a genetic trait that only a few
  super people possess
• Fostering resilience is a process not a programme

18

• Comprehensive, longitudinal studies have
  repeatedly shown that a few simple factors make
  all the difference for fostering resilience, the
  main ones are
• Feeling Secure
• Feeling Connected
• Feeling Valued

19
The Seven Resiliencies

20
Resilience

• Rather than being concerned with somewhat
  abstract states of illness or wellness,
  resilience is a much more dynamic and human
  concept.
• Resilience is the capacity to cope with, and
  bounce back after, the ongoing demands and
  challenges of life, and learn from them in a
  positive way resilience adds the vital sense of
  flexibility and bouncing back.
• (Raeburn Joubert, 1998)

21

• To create these places and to be that someone
  we must, first and foremost, support our own
  resilience.
• (Bonnie Bernard 1996)

22

• Concept of resiliency
• - looking at our own resilience

23
Young people want to be connected with adults
they can respect and trust

• You make a connection with young people by
• Showing that you care about them, understand them
  and value them
• Being aware of their strengths
• Taking an interest in what they do and offering
  encouragement
• Being friendly, patient, honest and trustworthy
  in your own behaviour
• Setting clear boundaries
• Having high expectations
• Being fair and consistent
• Listening
• Providing opportunities to learn and be creative
• Providing opportunities for taking responsibility
• Providing opportunities for making choices
• Providing opportunities for meaningful
  participation and contribution
• And above all
• Believing that they have the capacity to be
  resilient.

24
Building resiliency in young people

• Talk about young peoples strengths not their
  deficits this can foster a powerful bond with
  young people
• Talking about strengths is a way of making a
  difference, at an individual level
• Believe that all young people have the potential
  for resilience
• Be respectful of young people do not dwell on
  their problems, symptoms and deficiencies. Do not
  establish an Im the authority, youre the sick
  one relationship
• Meet young people who are asking for help on
  their own terms by finding and talking about
  positive things in their lives, no matter how
  small
• (adapted from Project Resilience
  www.projectresilience.com )

25
Classroom Climate - Key Questions

• (from the Gatehouse Project, Australia, 1998)
• Is the physical environment conducive to positive
  interactions?
• Do students have the opportunity to work in
  different groupings - by themselves, in small
  groups and as a whole class?
• Do the students have the opportunity to take on
  different roles within the classroom?
• Do the students receive acknowledgement of their
  contributions to class activities?
• Are there accepted operating guidelines for
  behaviour in this class? For behaviour in
  general? For conducting discussion in
  particular?
• Are consequences for breaches of behaviour
  guidelines clear and well known?
• Are there accepted and well-known avenues for
  following up difficult issues which might arise
  in the classroom?

26
Looking at what departments can do

• Examining department climates (awareness)
• Assessing issues in the classroom (which enhance
  or detract from resilience.

27
Department Climate - Key Questions

• Is the physical environment conducive to positive
  interactions?
• Do we have the opportunity to work in different
  groupings - by ourselves in small groups and as a
  whole department?
• Do we have the opportunity to take on different
  roles within the department?
• Do we receive acknowledgement of our
  contributions to department activities?
• Are there accepted operating guidelines for
  interactions in this department. For
  interactions in general? For conducting
  discussion in particular?
• Are there accepted and well-known avenues for
  following up difficult issues which might arise
  in the department?
• Do we interact with other departments?
• Do we take a big picture view of our part in the
  school?

28
(No Transcript)
29
Student Survey

• Junior, middle and senior school
• Randomly selected
• Mind Matters
• Focus Groups

30
NEW ZEALAND YOUTH 2000

• A National Secondary School
• Youth Health Survey

31

• The influences and experiences youth have during
  their schooling are major determining factors of
  healthy development. In particular, youth who
  have positive relationships with adults and peers
  at school, who feel like they are part of their
  school are likely to have fewer problems and more
  successes in the classroom and wider world.
• P.26 Early Findings of Youth 2000

32
How do students feel about school?
33

• Emotional health one third of students are very
  happy with their life
• Female students are more likely than male
  students to have times when they feel up and down
• Female students are twice as likely as male
  students to report levels of depressive symptons
• Alcohol is the substance most commonly used by
  students.

34
Middle School

• Negative
• 30 find it easy to talk over problems with staff
• 56 have friends who have had rumours spread
  about them
• 53 have been called names
• 56 have adults at school they could go to for
  help
• 51 find there are big sections of some subjects
  they dont understand
• 43 know what to do to stop being stressed out

• Positive
• 85 enjoy school generally
• 70 find lessons enjoyable
• 88 feel safe and secure at school
• 91 have friends they can talk to at school
• 87 have felt successful at some task this year

35
Female Students Who Enjoy School
36
b) Focus Groups

• Senior School Focus
• Their perception of stress
• Causes of their stress
• Managing stress
• Does school support you?
• Importance of relationships at school
• Impact of Parent/Teacher relationships on
  learning
• Developing relationships
• - strategies

• Middle School Focus
• Peer relationships
• Impact of Parent/Teacher relationships
• Opportunities for developing relationships

37
Staff Pastoral Care Group

• Playground markings
• Tutor handbook
• Breathing Works
• Establishment of regular Deans Tutors meetings
• Pastoral Programme for tutors.

38
Pastoral Programme for Tutors

• Consultation
• Creation
• Development
• Introduction
• Delivery
• Review
• Evaluation

A LIVING DOCUMENT
39
Middle School

• Positive
• 85 enjoy school generally
• 70 find lessons enjoyable
• 88 feel safe and secure at school
• 91 have friends they can talk to at school
• 87 have felt successful at some task this year

40
Middle School

• Negative
• 30 find it easy to talk over problems with staff
• 56 have friends who have had rumours spread
  about them
• 56 have adults at school they can go to for help
• 43 know what to do to stop being stressed out
• 51 find there are big sections of some subjects
  they dont understand

41
Creation of Student Health Group

• Attempt 1!
• Attempt 2!
• Attempt 3!

42
Staff Mental Health

• Mental Health is a dynamic concept that is
  constantly changing therefore the process of
  assessing mental health should be cyclical.

43
From 2005

• Staff mental health will be reviewed on a
  cyclical basis
• Based on a format already established
• Every other term (T2 4)
• Tuesday meeting cycle

44
(No Transcript)
45
(No Transcript)
46
Talk to the hand .the face aint listening!
47
(No Transcript)
48
Mental Health Contract / Initiative 2005

• Diocesan as a Multicultural Community

49
Who makes up our community?

• Auckland Statistics
• About 65 of all Asian people in NZ live in
  the Auckland region make up 12.5 of its
  population.
• Chinese are the largest group (45 of all Asians)
  
• Indian 27
• Korean 9

• Diocesan Student Statistics (numbers)
• Chinese 128
• Indian 32
• British/Irish 27
• Korean 22
• Maori 16
• Other Asian 15
• Taiwanese 12
• Sri Lankan 6
• African origin 5
• Japanese 2

50
Outline of Action plan
51
Actions completed in addition to those outlined

• Parental consultation re Health Curriculum
  changes implemented. Inclusion of Mental Health
  issues.
• Established better links with Junior School
• Policy review gt dealing with critical incidents
• HR Manager has implemented EAP (Employer
  Assistance Programme) which the Board has
  supported financially
• Development of orientation programmes at year 9

52
School Climate and Ethos

• Schools with positive climates are places where
  people care, respect, and trust in one another
  and where school organisation cares, respects and
  trusts people. In such a school, people feel a
  high sense of pride and ownership which comes
  from each individual having a role in making the
  school a better place (Pransky, 1991)

53
Why is it important?

• The positive mental health of both staff and
  students allows the greatest benefits to be
  gained from all the school has to offer.
• Positive mental health allows students to learn
  and move towards their personal best. It also
  allows relationships, both inside and outside the
  classroom, to be supportive and productive. This
  has been seen to have a clear impact on students
  learning.