Educator Resources
straightforward & practical best practices
mental health in education
Wit and Reason has curated a collection of recommendations and resources to support all of our amazing educators and policymakers. The resources below are informed by the recommendations of the Resolution on Gender and Sexual Orientation Diversity in Children and Adolescents in Schools, the American Psychological Association (APA), the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), Center for Disease Control (CDC), and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
All Students
How To Create A Safe Learning Environment for LGBTQ Students
Dr. Alexis teams up with Lalo Moreno, MA, on Latinx Education Collaborative to discuss the importance of creating a safe and welcoming educational environment for All students.
Main Takeaways:
Your students who feel connected to their school are, “More likely to attend school regularly, stay in school longer, and have higher grades and test scores. Less likely to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, or have sexual intercourse. Less likely to carry weapons, become involved in violence or be injured from dangerous activities such as drinking and driving or not wearing seat belts. Less likely to have emotional problems, suffer from eating disorders, or experience suicidal thoughts or attempts.”
Best Practices for Serving LGBTQ Students (Tolerance.org, 2020)
Main Takeaways:
Treating all students with understanding and respect is good for… all students -
“LGBTQ students who go to school in a fully inclusive environment—where both curriculum and schoolwide policies value their identities—experience more positive outcomes. They also experience less harassment, feel more valued by school staff, and face fewer barriers to success.
We also know that an LGBTQ-inclusive school benefits all students. Seeing LGBTQ identities valued in the classroom, in the curriculum, and in day-to-day interactions inspires empathy, understanding, and respect.”
Helping Kids Cope & Providing Psychological First Aid: Teachers (NCTSN, 2014-2020)
The first button below connects you to a quick resource for using the Core Actions of Psychological First Aid in response to an emergency event on school grounds. The second button links you to The National Child Traumatic Stress Network’s teacher resource search, organized by a traumatic event. The third button connects you to the Help Kids Cope app designed “to assist parents in talking to their children about different disasters they may experience or have already experienced.
The Help Kids Cope app includes 10 different disaster types with sections in each on how to explain, prepare, respond, and heal from the event their family is concerned with. Each section gives guidance on talking to preschool, school-age, and adolescent children, as well as, includes ways parents can help themselves cope and support their children’s reactions.” Share this app as a resource with your students’ parents and/or as a resource in how to discuss traumatic events with youth.
Main Takeaways:
“To best promote long-term recovery and to help students return to their pre-crisis ability to concentrate and function academically, be sure to talk to them about the recovery process and address any safety concerns. You may want to modify the classroom curriculum temporarily, take extra time to cover certain material, or postpone possibly distressing subject matter.”
Children
Learn the Signs. Act Early. (CDC, 2019)
Main Takeaways:
You are in a position to help with early identification of any developmental concerns so that children can get the help they need -
“As an early childhood educator, you are a valuable resource to parents! They look to you for information about their child, and they trust you. CDC’s “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” (LTSAE) has FREE research-based, parent-friendly resources on child development to help you boost family engagement and your own professional development.”
The button below gives you access to free online training, tools to track child development (including an app), and tools to support child development:
Magination Press® Children's Books (APA, 2020)
Main Takeaways:
There’s a children’s book for that -
“Written for ages 4 through 18, these books deal with topics ranging from every day — starting school, shyness, normal fears, and a new baby in the house — to more serious problems, such as divorce, attention deficit disorder, depression, serious injury or illness, autism, trauma, death, and much more.
Most of our books are written by mental health professionals or those who work closely with them and with children. Our books help children understand their feelings, provide information about the topic or situation, and offer extensive practical coping strategies. A comprehensive Note to Parents is usually included to help guide parents, therapists, social workers, and teachers in using the book.”
Main Takeaways:
Your students’ brains are still developing. Guess what skills still need time to mature (you could probably figure this out based on the behaviors you observe in your classroom) -
“Though the brain may be done growing in size, it does not finish developing and maturing until the mid-to-late 20s. The front part of the brain, called the prefrontal cortex, is one of the last brain regions to mature. This area is responsible for skills like planning, prioritizing, and controlling impulses. Because these skills are still developing, teens are more likely to engage in risky behaviors without considering the potential results of their decisions.”
Not all hope is lost -
“The teen brain has lots of plasticity, which means it can change, adapt, and respond to its environment. Challenging academics or mental activities, exercise, and creative activities such as art can help the brain mature and learn.”
Many mental health disorders begin to appear during adolescence -
“Ongoing changes in the brain, along with physical, emotional, and social changes, can make teens vulnerable to mental health problems. All the big changes the brain is experiencing may explain why adolescence is a time when many mental disorders—such as schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and eating disorders—can emerge.
Your students’ brains may be more vulnerable to stress -
“Because the teen brain is still developing, teens may respond to stress differently than adults, which could lead to stress-related mental disorders such as anxiety and depression. Mindfulness, which is a psychological process of actively paying attention to the present moment, may help teens cope with and reduce stress.”
Preventing Suicide: The Role of High School Teachers (SPRC, 2019)
Main Takeaways:
You are in a unique role to save lives -
“As a teacher, you have an important role to play in preventing suicide. You have daily contact with many young people, some of whom have problems that could result in serious injury or even death by suicide. You are therefore in a position to notice what students say, do, and write, and take action when you suspect a student may be at risk of self-harm.”
The following link connects you to a fact sheet with specific steps:
Understand how suicide prevention fits with your role as a high school teacher
Identify students who may be at risk for suicide
Respond to students who may be at risk for suicide
Be prepared to respond to a suicide death
Consider becoming involved in schoolwide suicide prevention
Teens and Mental Health (DC Radio, 2019)
Main Takeaways:
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among 10 to 24-year-olds. Approximately 20% of kids have seriously considered suicide within a one year period here in the US. This may be a passing thought that happens once or something that a child may be thinking about more actively. How do you have a conversation about emotions, mental health, and concerning behaviors with the teens in your life? Then, what do you do if they mention something concerning? Listen in as Dr. Alexis speaks with a professor of psychology and neuroscience and researcher, Dr. Mitch Prinstein, to get specific tips on how to support teens’ mental health.