Supporting Mental Health in Children by Providing Basic Skills and Knowledge of Mental Health to Middle-School Teachers

Background: Mental health first aid training in middle school is an effective way to help teachers gain the necessary knowledge and confidence needed to support students with mental health distress and provide early interventions. Local Problem: Lack of mental health training may result in teachers facing challenges in identifying and addressing mental health issues among their students. Specific problems resulting from this include limited awareness, insufficient skills, and strategies to effectively communicate and engage with students in mental health distress, and stigma surrounding mental health may make teachers uncomfortable discussing mental health. Methods: The project will take place at Harper Middle School in Davis and train middle school teachers. Teachers will receive a mental health first aid action plan to help students in mental health distress. The pamphlet will have information on approaching, listening, reassuring, encouraging appropriate help, encouraging self-help, and providing other support strategies (ALGEE). Proposed Interventions: The proposed project aims to improve mental health support in schools by providing comprehensive mental health first aid training to middle-school teachers. Proposed Outcome Measures: The Knowledge, Attitudes, and Confidence Scale, a valid tool, will be used to assess the knowledge gained, attitudes towards mental health, and the teachers’ confidence to provide the needed support to students. The scale will be measured pre- and post-training to quantify the improvement in these areas