Tier
Tier 1: Positive Mental Health Promotion
Program Description
Healthy Minds is a prevention program for schools that aims to prevent and reduce the risk for the onset of symptoms of anxiety, depression, and eating disorders, while also building wellbeing and resilience. The program is delivered by psychologists and the school's own teaching staff.
The program aims to equip students, staff, and parents with the tools they need to better support their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of other students. This is achieved by:
• Teaching psychological skills to students
• Engaging school staff to support, connect, and refer students while implementing the wellbeing program
• Improving parents' knowledge of their children's psychological development
For a more detailed description of the program, please contact Healthy Minds for a Prospectus (link in Contacts section).
Detailed Cost
The cost for the full Healthy Minds program for one year is $20,953.90 (inc. GST) plus travel expenses.
This includes:
• 10 visits to the school (or the equivalent service delivered via remote learning)
• A 1-day teacher training workshop
• A Year 8 (or Year 7) Parent Night
• The Year 8 (or Year 7) term-long program
• A teachers' guide with detailed lesson plans, links, worksheets, and resources
• Student workbooks
• Weekly Parent Modules
• Flexible 'boosters' (up to 3 hours' presentation time) for other year levels, staff, or parents
• Accreditation as a Healthy Minds School (accreditation is renewed annually)
Implementation Considerations
Target population: Secondary students, their teachers and their parents. The main 8-week component is for either Year 7 or 8 cohorts. Booster sessions are available for other cohorts.
Program adaptability: The main content and exercises can be adapted for the specific learning needs of students with learning difficulties.
Staffing: Teachers who deliver the classroom lessons need to attend a training day, equivalent to one school day. Backfilling of staff is required for this training day.
Training requirements: The group presentations will require the use of a space within the school that can hold one cohort of students. Basic Audio-Visual infrastructure is required. For example, a screen and projector with sound. Internet will be required if having online delivery.
Factors to consider: There are no minimum requirements in terms of student numbers. Ongoing support is provided as needed by email or phone, as well as weekly teacher coaching emails, to assist in the implementation of the program within the school.
Australian context: The program has been developed and applied in Australia.
Strength of Evidence
Level 4: Established evidence for program
Geographic Location
State-wide
Intended Outcomes
• Increased knowledge of mental health, social-emotional wellbeing, and psychological skills across students, teachers, and parents. • Reduced risk for the onset of symptoms of anxiety, depression, and eating disorders among students.
• Greater awareness in teachers of how young people can have a healthy mind
• The school establishes a common framework and language related to wellbeing, which can be widely known and used within the whole school
< • Creating a 'culture of wellbeing' with a prevention-focused approach to mental health within the whole school community