Secondary school Year Advisors’ perspectives on their role, responsibilities and training needs for student mental health: Insights from a co-design workshop

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bridianne O'Dea ◽  
Melissa Anderson ◽  
Mirjana Subotic-Kerry ◽  
Belinda Parker
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Adolescent Mental Health ◽  
Training Needs ◽  
Mental Health Training ◽  
Health Training ◽  
Student Mental Health ◽  
School Year ◽  
Design Workshop

Abstract Anxiety and depression commonly emerge during adolescence and secondary schools are well placed to recognise deteriorations in young people’s mental health. In Australian secondary schools, Year Advisors (or year co-ordinators), have been identified as key teaching staff for assisting students with their mental health and facilitating help-seeking. However, there is little understanding of the responsibilities of this role and the mental health training needs of these educators. In December 2017, 12 secondary school Year Advisors from NSW, Australia, took part in a one-day co-design workshop that explored their current role in caring for student mental health and developed a resource that matched their training needs. This paper explores the insights generated from this workshop and outlines a way to engage end-users in the design of mental health training programs. The workshop attendees strongly supported the development of an adolescent mental health training program that was specific to the Year Advisor role, improved their knowledge of adolescent mental health, and developed their skills and confidence to support students in need.

scholarly journals The Building Educators’ Skills in Adolescent Mental Health Training Program for Secondary School Educators: Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

10.2196/25870 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. e25870
Author(s):  
Belinda L Parker ◽  
Cassandra Chakouch ◽  
Mirjana Subotic-Kerry ◽  
Philip J Batterham ◽  
Andrew Mackinnon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Training Program ◽  
Health Knowledge ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Adolescent Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Training ◽  
Health Training ◽  
Mental Health Knowledge

Background In Australia, secondary school educators are well positioned to recognize mental illness among students and provide support. However, many report that they lack the knowledge and confidence to do so, and few mental health training programs available for educators are evidence based. To address this gap, the Black Dog Institute (BDI) developed a web-based training program (Building Educators’ Skills in Adolescent Mental Health [BEAM]) that aims to improve mental health knowledge, confidence, and helping behaviors among secondary school educators in leadership positions. A pilot study of the training program found it to be positively associated with increased confidence and helping behaviors among educators and reduced personal psychological distress. An adequately powered randomized controlled trial (RCT) is needed. Objective The primary objective of this cluster RCT is to evaluate the effectiveness of the BEAM program for improving educators’ confidence in managing student mental health. The trial will also evaluate the effect of the BEAM program in increasing educators’ frequency of providing help to students and improving their mental health knowledge and reducing educators’ psychological distress and stigma toward students with mental health issues. Methods The target sample size is 234 educators from 47 secondary schools across New South Wales, Australia. Four waves of recruitment and enrollment into the trial are planned. Schools will participate in one wave only and will be randomized to the intervention or waitlist control conditions. Participants from the same school will be assigned to the same condition. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, posttest (10 weeks after baseline), and follow-up (22 weeks after baseline) using the BDI eHealth research platform. Intervention participants will receive access to the BEAM program for 10 weeks upon completion of baseline, and the control condition will receive access for 10 weeks upon completion of the follow-up assessment. Results Recruitment for this trial began on July 21, 2020, with the first baseline assessments occurring on August 17, 2020. To date, 295 participants from 71 schools have completed baseline. Due to the unexpected success of recruitment in the first 3 waves, the final fourth wave has been abandoned. Intervention participants are currently receiving the program, with follow-up due for completion in March 2021. Conclusions This is one of the first RCTs to examine the effectiveness of a web-based adolescent mental health training program for Australian secondary school educators in leadership positions. If found to be effective, this training program will offer a sustainable and scalable delivery method for upskilling educators in caring for students’ mental health. Trial Registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12620000876998; https://covid-19.cochrane.org/studies/crs-14669208 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/25870

scholarly journals Mental health training for secondary school teachers in Haiti: a mixed methods, prospective, formative research study of feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness in knowledge acquisition

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Eustache ◽  
M. E. Gerbasi ◽  
M. C. Smith Fawzi ◽  
J. R. Fils-Aimé ◽  
J. Severe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
School Mental Health ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Mental Health Training ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Health Training ◽  
Student Mental Health ◽  
Knowledge And Attitudes

BackgroundEngagement and training of educators in student mental health holds promise for promoting access to care as a task sharing strategy but has not been well-studied in low-income regions.MethodsWe used a prospective and convergent mixed methods design to evaluate a customized school mental health 2½ day training for teachers in rural Haiti (n = 22) as the initial component of formative research developing a school-based intervention to promote student mental health. Training prepared teachers to respond to student mental health needs by providing psychoeducational and practical support to facilitate access to care. We examined level of participation and evaluated feasibility, acceptability, and perceived effectiveness by calculating mean scores on self-report Likert-style items eliciting participant experience. We examined effectiveness of the training on improving mental health knowledge and attitudes by comparing mean scores on an assessment administered pre- and post-training. Finally, we examined self-report written open-ended responses and focus group discussion (FGD) interview data bearing on perceived feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness to contextualize participant ratings of training and to identify recommendations for enhancing the utility of mental health training locally for educators.ResultsMean scores of knowledge and attitudes significantly improved between the pre-test and post-tests; e.g., knowledge improved from 58% correct at baseline to 68% correct on the second post-test (p = 0.039). Mean ratings of the training were favorable across all categories and FGD data demonstrated widespread participant endorsement of training acceptability and effectiveness; participants recommended extending the duration and number of training sessions.ConclusionsFindings support feasibility, acceptability, and a limited scope of effectiveness of brief mental health training for secondary school teachers in Haiti. Further development of approaches to engage teachers in promoting school mental health through training is warranted.

Mental Health Training Programs for Secondary School Teachers: A Systematic Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 489-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Anderson ◽  
Aliza Werner-Seidler ◽  
Catherine King ◽  
Aimée Gayed ◽  
Samuel B. Harvey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
Mental Health Training ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Health Training

Mental health training needs amongst staff of Probation Approved Premises: A comparison with mental health hostel staff in the voluntary sector

2005 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Hatfield ◽  
Tony Ryan ◽  
Laura Pickering ◽  
Brigid Downing ◽  
Roger Crofts
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Voluntary Sector ◽  
Training Needs ◽  
Mental Health Training ◽  
Health Training

scholarly journals The Mental Health Training Intervention for School Nurses and Other Health Providers in Schools

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 422-433
Author(s):  
Jill Haak Bohnenkamp ◽  
Sharon A. Hoover ◽  
Elizabeth Halsted Connors ◽  
Lawrence Wissow ◽  
Nichole Bobo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
School Health ◽  
School Nurses ◽  
Training Intervention ◽  
Mental Health Training ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Health Training ◽  
Student Mental Health ◽  
Service Training ◽  
Development Processes

School nurses encounter many students presenting with mental health needs. However, school nurses report that they need additional training and resources to be able to support student mental health. This study involved a multilevel, stakeholder-driven process to refine the Mental Health Training Intervention for Health Providers in Schools (MH-TIPS), an in-service training and implementation support system for school health providers, including school nurses, to increase their competence in addressing student mental health concerns. Findings highlighted the importance of mental health content including assessment, common factors of positive therapeutic mental health interactions, common elements of evidence-based mental health practice, and resource and referral mapping. Additionally, multifaceted ongoing professional development processes were indicated. Study findings indicate that, with recommended modifications, the MH-TIPS holds promise as a feasible, useful intervention to support school nurse practice and ultimately impact student mental health and educational outcomes.

scholarly journals A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial of the Building Educators’ Skills in Adolescent Mental Health (BEAM) Training Program: Trial Protocol (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Belinda Louise Parker ◽  
Cassandra Chakouch ◽  
Mirjana Subotic-Kerry ◽  
Philip J Batterham ◽  
Andrew Mackinnon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Training Program ◽  
Health Knowledge ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Adolescent Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Training ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Mental Health Knowledge

BACKGROUND In Australia, secondary school educators are well positioned to recognize mental illness among students and provide support. However, many report that they lack the knowledge and confidence to do so, and very few mental health training programs available for educators are evidence-based. To address this gap, the Black Dog Institute developed a web-based training program (Building Educators’ Skills in Adolescent Mental Health; BEAM) that aims to improve mental health knowledge, confidence, and helping behaviors among secondary school educators in leadership positions. A pilot study of the training program found it to be positively associated with increased confidence and helping behaviors among educators and reduced their psychological distress. An adequately powered Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) is now needed. OBJECTIVE The primary objective of this cluster RCT is to evaluate the effectiveness of the BEAM program for improving educators’ confidence in managing student mental health. The trial will also evaluate the effect of the BEAM program in increasing educators’ frequency of providing help to students and improving their mental health knowledge, and reducing educators’ psychological distress and stigma towards students with mental health issues. METHODS The target sample size is N=234 educators in 47 secondary schools across New South Wales, Australia. Four waves of recruitment and enrolment into the trial are planned. Schools will participate in one wave only and will be randomized to the intervention or waitlist control conditions. Participants from the same school will be assigned to the same condition. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, post-test (10-weeks after baseline) and follow-up (22-weeks after baseline) using the Black Dog Institute e-health research platform. Intervention participants will receive access to the BEAM program for 10-weeks upon completion of baseline and the control condition will receive access for 10-weeks upon completion of the follow-up assessment. RESULTS Recruitment for this trial began on 21st July 2020, with the first baseline assessments occurring on 17th August 2020. To date, 295 participants from 71 schools have completed baseline. Due to the unexpected success of recruitment in the first three waves, the final fourth wave has been abandoned. Intervention participants are currently receiving the program with follow-up due for completion in March 2021. CONCLUSIONS This is one of the first RCTs to examine the effectiveness of a web-based, adolescent mental health training program for Australian secondary school educators in leadership positions. If found to be effective, this training program will offer a sustainable and scalable delivery method for upskilling educators in caring for students’ mental health. CLINICALTRIAL Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12620000876998; registered 03/09/2020) and Universal Trial Number (U1111-1253-3176).

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document