District partners support students’ mental health

Asheville City Schools and Buncombe County Schools in Asheville, N.C., have partnered with the United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County to develop strategies for responding to the emotional and mental health needs of middle school students in those districts. More than 40 community partners have joined their efforts, which include a focus on resilience and mindfulness.

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

Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling ◽

10.1017/s1037291100002697 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 96-105 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

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.

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

Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling ◽

10.1375/ajgc.15.2.214 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 214-219 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

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.

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Mental Health Needs of Iowa High School Students

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e704442011-001 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

Kathryn Gerken ◽

Stephanie Anthony ◽

Shannon Dyson ◽

Clark I. Kopelman ◽

Brooke Natchev ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

High School ◽

High School Students ◽

Health Needs ◽

Mental Health Needs ◽

School Students

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Intervention and Prevention Programs to Support Student Mental Health: The Literature and Examples From the MindMatters Plus Initiative

Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling ◽

10.1375/ajgc.15.2.220 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 220-227 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sarah Anderson ◽

Martha Doyle

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Prevention Programs ◽

School Curriculum ◽

Health Needs ◽

Health It ◽

Mental Health Needs ◽

Students At Risk ◽

Student Mental Health ◽

Whole School ◽

Support Students

AbstractThis article examines the literature regarding prevention and intervention programs that are aimed at supporting student mental health. It will also examine the practical use of these types of programs in schools, as reflected by the experiences of the MindMatters Plus demonstration schools. The aim of the MindMatters Plus initiative is to build the capacity of secondary schools to increase their support of students with high mental health needs. The implementation of programs that support student mental health is one component of this whole school aim that includes the embedding of a range of strategies to support students with high mental health needs, creating processes that effectively identify students at risk, and the building of community partnerships. As will be demonstrated, the use of intervention and prevention programs in schools can be an effective way of positively supporting student mental health that can be successfully integrated into the school curriculum.

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Student and Staff Mental Health Literacy and MindMatters Plus

Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling ◽

10.1375/ajgc.15.2.209 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 209-213 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Sarah Anderson ◽

Martha Doyle

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Mental Health Literacy ◽

Community Partnerships ◽

Health Needs ◽

Health Issues ◽

Mental Health Needs ◽

Students At Risk ◽

Building Community ◽

Support Students

AbstractThis article examines the literature and the experience of the MindMatters Plus demonstration schools in regard to improving student and staff mental health literacy. The aim of the MindMatters Plus initiative is to build the capacity of secondary schools to increase their support of students with high mental health needs. This is achieved in various ways including the embedding of strategies that support students into the curriculum and ethos of the school, creating processes that effectively identify students at risk, and building community partnerships. A foundation for these strategies is to strengthen staff and student awareness of mental health issues and to create an environment in which students are more willing to seek assistance. This article explores how schools can increase student and staff mental health literacy, and includes examples gained from the experience of the MindMatters Plus demonstration schools.

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