Mental Health in the School System: Providing Tools and Resources for Teachers

This capstone project\u27s aim was to look at the mental health needs of school aged children, and how Occupational Therapists can help to meet their needs in the school system. The doctoral student completed a background on mental health statistics and needs in children, and also completed a literature review on occupational therapy’s role in mental health and schools, mindfulness, and current practices in the United States. A gap was identified after a literature search was completed: While the school systems understand mental health is an area that should be addressed, there is a gap in providing these tools and skills to students due to lack of confidence in educators. This capstone project served this need by partnering with one school in Lake Stevens school district. A needs assessment and observations were completed at this school with various teachers and professions. A Mindfulness Toolkit was created from evidence-based practice found in literature as well as the observations and needs assessment