MindMatters Plus: A Capacity-building Framework for Working with Secondary School Students with High Support Mental Health Needs

2004 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Broomhall ◽  
Janet Devlin ◽  
Sarah Anderson ◽  
Martha Doyle
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Capacity Building ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Mental Health Needs ◽  
School Students ◽  
School Capacity Building ◽  
High Support

This article describes the history, development and status of MindMatters Plus (MM+). MM+ is a project developed within the context of MindMatters (MM), an ongoing initiative which aims to promote mental health within Australian secondary schools. MM+ is an integral component of the MM suite of initiatives and is consistent with its underlying philosophy of developing student resilience through a “whole of school”, capacity-building approach. The specific goal of MM+ is to develop best practice approaches to improving the mental health outcomes of secondary school students with high support mental health needs (SWHSNs) and is achieved in several ways: (1) assisting schools in early identification; (2) facilitating the implementation of preventative and other interventions; (3) developing new initiatives and refining existing processes, policies and strategies and; (4) encouraging the development of timely and accessible networks of care with external agencies and community partnerships.

Key Factors in Supporting Students With High Needs in Mental Health: Discussions With the MindMatters Plus Demonstration Schools

2005 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 214-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Mental Health Needs ◽  
School Students ◽  
Students At Risk ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Practice Approach

AbstractThis article describes some key lessons from the MindMatters Plus (MM+) initiative, as a best practice approach to improving the mental health outcomes of secondary school students with high support mental health needs. The MindMatters Plus initiative focuses on early identification of students with mental health needs, implementation of preventative and other interventions, refining processes, policies and strategies to support students at risk, and encouraging the development of community partnerships to enhance the support of student wellbeing. Specifically, this article will examine the key factors that enabled the MindMatters Plus demonstration schools to achieve these outcomes. As part of the initiative, an interview was conducted with staff from each of the 17 MindMatters Plus demonstration schools. Staff members were asked to describe what they had learned as a result of their participation in the initiative and to identify factors that they believed were significant in their ability to improve the support they provided for students at risk. The responses to these interviews, as outlined in the present article, will serve as invaluable guidelines for other schools that want to improve the support they provide for students with high mental health needs.

Strengthening Mental Health Programs for Secondary School Students With High Support Needs: A Framework for Effective School Case Management

2005 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry de Jong
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Case Management ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Health Programs ◽  
Support Needs ◽  
School Students ◽  
Effective School ◽  
Mental Health Programs ◽  
High Support

AbstractMindMatters Plus (MM+) is a program that focuses on building the capacity of secondary schools to meet the needs of students who have high support needs in the area of mental health. A necessity to supplement this work with specific strategies and processes allied to the delivery of mental health programs in secondary schools was identified. Effective school case management was one key strategy of MM+ that subsequently was targeted for further identification and development. To this end, the Australian Guidance and Counselling Association was commissioned to produce a resource on effective school case management for staff who work with secondary school students who have high support needs in the area of mental health. This article briefly describes the School Case Management Project that was established to achieve this aim, and presents a work-in-progress framework of the principles, definition, aims and strategies of effective school case management. This framework is the basis upon which the resource, a tool kit designed to appraise and improve the quality of a school's case management practices, is currently being developed. The project is due for completion by the end of October 2005.

scholarly journals What do Adolescents Know about Mental Health Illnesses? A Case Study based on Learning and Service in a Secondary School

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 223
Author(s):  
Maria Lourdes Mila ◽  
Isabel Alvarez
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Radical Change ◽  
Neutral Evolution ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
School Students ◽  
Service Project ◽  
Perceptions And Attitudes

The aim of this study is to show how the perceptions and attitudes of secondary school students towards mental health issues changed over the course of a Learning and Service project. The Learning and Service project was carried out by 58 students, together with the residents of a mental health institution during three months. Both students and residents shared several activities to bring them closer. Secondary school students did not have any previous experience with mental health residents before. The analysis took place during the course of the process, with the students responding to four questionnaires, each one after having done an activity together. The study demonstrates that through this Learning and Service project most of the students' perspectives changed for the better, some even viewed radical change while others were positive and finally few students only experienced neutral evolution of their ideas with respect to people with mental health disorders.

scholarly journals Role of School Health Officers in Mental Health Care for Secondary School Students in Can Tho City, Vietnam

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 801-811
Author(s):  
Dat Tan Nguyen ◽  
E. Pamela Wright ◽  
Tam Thi Pham ◽  
Joske Bunders
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
School Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
School Students ◽  
Can Tho City

Abstract The objectives of the study were to explore the experiences of school health officers in identifying and managing mental health problems of secondary school students and to gather recommendations from the school officers for improving the effectiveness of mental health care in secondary schools in Can Tho City, Vietnam. We conducted a qualitative study based on in-depth interviews using a semi-structured guideline with 15 school health officers at 15 secondary schools in Can Tho City, Vietnam. Data were analyzed using content-driven analysis to identify recurring themes. The school health officers reported that stress, depression, suicidal ideation, and sexual orientation issues were the most commonly encountered mental health problems among their students. The officers worked with a limited range of interventions for helping these students, such as giving non-narcotic analgesics or advising students to take a short break at school or to go home. Most of them felt that their training was insufficient to deal with mental health problems in an optimal way. They recommended further training to improve their knowledge and skills in recognizing and managing mental health problems in students. They also considered a university-sponsored mental health website a good source of information on mental health care for students. School health officers reported that they did not feel well equipped to manage mental health problems because of insufficient training, lack confidence, and absence of an appropriate network for advice and referral. Updated policies and programs are needed for initial training and refresher courses, which will strengthen the role of school health officers as first line support for secondary school students with mental health problems.

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