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Promoting Mental Health Literacy Among Educators:

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468852
ian Journal of School PsychologyWhitley et al.
CJS28110.1177/0829573512468852Canad

Canadian Journal of School Psychology

Promoting Mental 28(1) 56­–70

© 2012 SAGE Publications
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DOI: 10.1177/0829573512468852
Educators:  Critical in School- cjs.sagepub.com

Based Prevention and

Intervention

Jessica Whitley1, J. David Smith1,

and Tracy Vaillancourt1

Abstract
Teachers and other school staff play key roles as partners in the prevention, identification,
and intervention of mental health difficulties among children and youth. However, it is
essential that teachers are equipped with sufficient mental health literacy to engender
effective practices in these areas. This article reviews the literature related to mental
health literacy with respect to the perceived preparedness of teachers as well as
approaches that have been taken or are under way to improve literacy.A specific focus
on bullying is also highlighted. Finally, suggestions emerging from current research as
to the elements of effective approaches to teacher preparation are explored as well
as recommendations for future research in the area.

Résumé
Les enseignant(e)s et autres membres du personnel d’établissements scolaires ont
un rôle clé à jouer en tant que partenaires dans la prévention et l’identification de
difficultés concernant la santé mentale des enfants et adolescent(e)s. Il en va de même
en ce qui a trait aux interventions nécessaires pour palier ces difficultés. Cependant,
il est essentiel que les enseignant(e)s soient équipé(e)s de connaissances suffisantes
en santé mentale pour donner lieu à des pratiques efficaces relatives à cette
problématique. Ce document passe en revue la littérature liée aux connaissances
en santé mentale ayant trait à l’état perçu de préparation des enseignant(e)s dans

1
University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Corresponding Author:
Jessica Whitley, University of Ottawa, 145 Jean Jacques Lussier, Lamoureux Hall, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
K1N 6N5.
Email: jwhitley@uottawa.ca
Whitley et al. 57

ce domaine ainsi que la littérature portant sur les approches qui ont été prises ou
qui sont présentement mises en place pour améliorer ces connaissances auprès
des enseignant(e)s. Une attention particulière sur l’intimidation psychologique est
également mise en évidence. Enfin, des suggestions issues de récentes études sur des
aspects d’approches efficaces pour la préparation des enseignant(e)s sont explorées
ainsi que des recommandations pour de futures recherches sur ce sujet.

Keywords
mental health literacy, teachers, professional development, bullying

A myopic focus on academic achievement not only undermines our children’s

potential to become responsible, caring, and contributing citizens, it also threat-
ens their psychological well-being and the Canadian economy.
—Schonert-Reichl and Hymel (2007, p. 21)

Mental Health Needs Among Canadian Children

Many students in Canadian schools are struggling to succeed academically and
socially because of ongoing and significant mental health issues (Vaillancourt &
Boylan, in press). According to the Canadian Coalition for Children and Youth Mental
Health, the mental health of students is the “number one issue facing schools today”
(Brown, 2011, p. 1). Although estimates vary widely, the percentage of children and
youth experiencing mental health difficulties, including anxiety, depression, or
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is suggested to be between 15% and
30% and is predicted to increase by 50% by 2020 (Arboleda-Flórez, 2005; Leitch,
2007; Roberts, Stuart, & Lam, 2008; Waddell & Shepherd, 2002). In fact, most psy-
chiatric disorders emerge in adolescence (Leitch, 2007). And, although rates of sui-
cide have declined slightly in Canada since 1990, suicide remains the second leading
cause of death among adolescents, with rising levels among girls and consistently
high rates among Aboriginal youth (Kirmayer et al., 2007; Skinner & McFaull, 2012).
In 2008, suicides accounted for 20% of all deaths among Canadians aged 10 to 14
years (Skinner & McFaull, 2012).
Despite the obvious need for timely service provision, it has been reported that only
one in five children with a mental health disorder in Canada receives treatment
(UNICEF Canada, 2007) and that the treatments they do receive are often not evi-
dence-based (Vaillancourt & Boylan, in press). The barriers facing timely and poten-
tially life-saving service delivery are numerous and wide ranging. The fragmentation,
or disciplinary “silos,” in the health care system, as well as insufficient numbers of
qualified professionals, inadequate funding, and long wait times constitute system-
level barriers to adequate care (Reid & Brown, 2008; Sterling, Weisner, Hinman, &
Parthasarathy, 2010). Individual- and community-level barriers include geographic
58 Canadian Journal of School Psychology 28(1)

location, socioeconomic status, family health, stigma, and the “fit” between youth-
specific needs and available services (Kutcher & McDougall, 2009; Mukolo, Heflinger,
& Wallston, 2010; Reid & Brown, 2008).
Many of these and other barriers, as well as potential solutions, are detailed in a
report that summarizes the findings and recommendations of the Standing Senate
Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, chaired by Kirby and Keon
(2006) from their investigation into the state of mental health in Canada. One strand
of recommendations is focused on the untapped potential of school sites in facilitat-
ing mental health prevention and intervention. Kirby and Keon suggest that teachers
“be trained so that they can be involved in the early identification of mental illness”
(p. 19) and that resources and supports necessary to take on this role be provided.
This recognition of educators and schools as key players in the broader community-
wide effort to respond to the mental health needs of students has been echoed by
researchers and practitioners alike (Power, Cleary, & Fitzpatrick, 2008; Schonert-
Reichl & Hymel, 2007).

Mental Health and Schools

Most educators are aware that mental health difficulties exist among many of their
students. It would be impossible not to, given the impact that these mental health chal-
lenges have on learning and overall functioning. Students with mental health difficul-
ties are more likely to experience lower academic achievement, less school
engagement and participation, poorer peer and family relationships, and are more
likely to drop out of school (Meldrum, Venn, & Kutcher, 2009; Vaillancourt &
Boylan, in press; Volk, Craig, Boyce, & King, 2006). Long-term outcomes, including
employment and education, are also significantly poorer for individuals with mental
health difficulties (Fergusson & Woodward, 2002).
Canadian educators are presently searching for effective ways to prevent the devel-
opment of mental health difficulties and to support the needs of students who exhibit
such difficulties. However, for any approach to be successful, school personnel need
to have the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to recognize mental health diffi-
culties and know the appropriate steps to take to both integrate these students effec-
tively in classroom activities and to ensure that they receive the care they require.

Mental Health Literacy of Educators

The role of schools, and specifically teachers, in the prevention, identification, and
intervention of mental health difficulties among children and youth is essential.
Teachers and other school personnel are often the first to observe behaviours that
indicate either the development or worsening of mental health problems. These prob-
lems affect the functioning of students in many ways, including their ability to learn
and participate in positive ways in school and the wider community (Meldrum et al.,
2009): “It is therefore imperative that teachers are equipped with the practical tools
Whitley et al. 59

and knowledge required to recognize and intervene appropriately in situations where

mental illness may be a concern” (Meldrum et al., 2009, p. 3).
It is also important that the beliefs of teachers regarding mental health issues be
taken into consideration. Individuals’ beliefs comprise one element of mental health
literacy, which is defined as “the knowledge, beliefs and abilities that enable the recog-
nition, management or prevention of mental health problems” (Canadian Alliance on
Mental Illness and Mental Health [CAMIMH], 2007, p. 4). Research has documented
the myths and misunderstandings that members of the general public, as well as medi-
cal professionals, hold about mental health issues. Unfortunately, these largely negative
attitudes and the stigma they foster have been found to present barriers to successful
and timely intervention primarily by reducing access to appropriate referrals and by
limiting help-seeking behaviour (Jorm, 2000; Martin, Pescosolido, & Tuch, 2000).
Only a few studies exist that directly assess the views of educators in regard to
mental health issues in the classroom. One study based on interviews with 32 teachers
in England documented the need for teacher training to recognize and address mental
health issues (Rothi, Leavey, & Best, 2008). A second study, conducted by Walter,
Gouze, and Lim (2006) in the United States involved a needs-assessment survey of
119 elementary school teachers regarding students’ mental health problems. Teachers
reported that they lacked information and training, which hindered their ability to
solve mental health problems. They also showed a limited amount of overall mental
health knowledge, particularly with regards to ADHD symptoms, depression preva-
lence, and the nature of oppositional defiance disorder.
Recently, the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF), working in collaboration
with the Mental Health Commission of Canada, conducted a survey of more than
3,900 teachers across the country (CTF, 2012). The goal of the study was to assess
teachers’ perceptions of barriers to the provision of mental health services for stu-
dents and to indicate their level of preparedness to address the mental health issues
they may face. Results indicated that the vast majority of teachers perceived that
mental health issues, such as stress, ADHD, anxiety, and depression, were pressing
concerns in their schools. As well, 87% of teachers agreed that a lack of adequate
staff training in dealing with children’s mental illness is a potential barrier to provid-
ing mental health services for students in their schools.
A second Canadian study, conducted with approximately 170 educators in Northern,
Ontario, found that whereas the vast majority felt that professional development in the
area of students’ mental health was needed, less than 10% felt supported by the mental
health community (Brackenreed & Frost, 2002). Interestingly, interviews with repre-
sentatives of the mental health community revealed agreement with the need for
teacher training but were unsure of the roles and responsibilities of teachers. From
both teachers’ and mental health workers’ perspectives, finding ways to lessen stigma
to allow for help seeking among teachers and students was seen as a top priority.
Based on the limited research that exists, teachers have expressed the desire to gain
a greater understanding of the nature of mental health difficulties that might be
60 Canadian Journal of School Psychology 28(1)

experienced by their students as well as strategies to deal with difficulties when they
occurred. Some recent international research indicates that focused and well-resourced
programs that aim to increase teachers’ mental health literacy can produce significant
positive effects. An evaluation of an intensive campaign in Norway in recent years
demonstrated that teachers exposed to such a program are more skilled and confident
in identifying the early signs of psychosis in adolescents (Langeveld et al., 2011).
These efforts are critical in directing youth to appropriate services in the early onset
phase of psychotic illness such as schizophrenia, since, as the authors point out, youth
tend to be underserved in this respect compared with adults who develop psychotic
illness. Another study in Italy illustrates how teachers’ limited knowledge of psychiat-
ric services for youth displaying early signs of psychotic illness in the school context
continues to be a barrier to early intervention and proper care for them (Masillo et al.,
2012). Findings from the recent CTF (2012) survey of teachers suggest that the situa-
tion in Canada may not be much different: 68% of teachers reported that they had
received no training in mental health literacy, a shortfall that was even more evident
among less experienced teachers, 75% of whom reported never having had any train-
ing. However, these numbers are no indication of their desire to develop mental health
literacy, as nearly the entire sample of respondents expressed a desire to increase their
skills and knowledge in the domain.
Another key element within the definition of mental health literacy is a focus on the
“prevention of mental health problem” (CAMIMH, 2007, p. 4). In addition to develop-
ing literacy in terms of recognizing mental health difficulties and identifying appropri-
ate next steps, educators should also have a solid understanding of their role in
prevention. One example of an area on which school personnel can focus their efforts
to reduce mental health difficulties among children and youth is bullying and peer
victimization. Although the contribution of bullying to mental health issues, such as
depression and anxiety, are well documented (see below), the CTF (2012) survey
reveals that the stigma that accompanies mental illness frequently makes affected chil-
dren targets of bullying. Twenty-one percent of teachers indicated that they frequently
or very frequently see students with mental health issues being bullied by classmates,
a situation that surely contributes to these children’s underlying issues and undermines
professional efforts to help them.

Bullying
Bullying extends far beyond an occasional fight or disagreement between peers.
Rather, it entails the repeated and intentional humiliation and oppression of a person
who has less power than his or her aggressor(s) (Olweus, 1999). Bullying occurs at an
alarming rate among Canadian students. In a recent population-based Canadian study
of 16,879 students in Grades 4 to 12, Vaillancourt et al. (2010) reported that 32% of
students admitted to bullying others and 38% of students reported being bullied.
These statistics are unfortunately consistent with other population-based studies such
as UNICEF’s Innocenti Report Card 7 (2007) using data from the World Health
Whitley et al. 61

Organization. In terms of students’ perception of school safety, Vaillancourt et al.

(2010) also found that 20% of students reported feeling unsafe at school with elemen-
tary school students reporting feeling less safe than secondary school students.
Researchers examining the effects of bullying have documented a host of negative
correlates and consequences among students involved in bullying, and in particular,
among those who fall victim to their peers’ abuse. Studies in which the concurrent
relations between bullying and health outcomes have been examined have shown con-
vincingly that children and youth who are bullied by peers, relative to non-victimized
youth, report lower self-esteem and self-worth, greater loneliness and social with-
drawal, more anxiety and depression, and more somatic complaints (e.g., headaches,
stomachaches; McDougall & Vaillancourt, 2012). Moreover, children involved in bul-
lying as perpetrators or victims also fair poorly in the academic realm. They are more
likely than non-involved students to avoid school, do poorly academically, and to drop
out (McDougall & Vaillancourt, 2012).
Disconcertingly, results from longitudinal research strongly suggest that this list of
negative mental and physical health “correlates” is the result of being abused and not
a precipitator of poor treatment by peers (Arseneault et al., 2006; Kim, Leventhal,
Koh, Hubbard, & Boyce, 2006; Sourander, Helstela, Helenius, & Piha, 2000; see also
McDougall & Vaillancourt, 2012 for a review). Because bullying is strongly linked to
poor mental and physical health, lower academic achievement, and school adjustment
problems, it is important that teachers and other school personal are aware of this link
and are committed to prioritizing the reduction of bullying as a way of reducing this
burden of illness and improving academic achievement. In Canada, most school
boards have prioritized the reduction of bullying, however, teachers nevertheless
report feeling ill-prepared for the task at hand (Blain-Arcaro, Smith, Cunningham,
Vaillancourt, & Rimas, 2012; Mishna, Scarcello, Pepler, & Wiener, 2005). Moreover,
although many teachers are sympathetic to the plight of peer-victimized students,
research also shows that this “sympathy [diminishes] with increasing length of ser-
vice” (Boulton, 1997, p. 223). Finally, research suggests that teachers’ adherence to
bullying prevention program tends to be poor (Dane & Schneider, 1998), perhaps
because teachers are rarely involved in the development of these programs
(Cunningham et al., 2009). As suggested by Cunningham and colleagues, program
success in the reduction of bullying is likely enhanced when teachers’ (and students’)
bullying prevention program preferences are considered (Cunningham et al., 2009;
Cunningham, Vaillancourt, Cunningham, Chen, & Ratcliffe, 2011). Given that bully-
ing has been identified as a significant cause of mental health issues, and that teachers
report needing additional preparation to deal with bullying, this is an area that should
be included in any mental health literacy program for educators.

Improving Mental Health Literacy of Educators

Given the limited mental health literacy that exists among educators in areas such as
signs and symptoms of mental illness and bullying, as well as their desire to improve
62 Canadian Journal of School Psychology 28(1)

understanding, professional learning opportunities are clearly warranted. However,

the type of training, including curriculum and method of instruction that will be most
effective in terms of developing teachers’ mental health literacy has not yet been
determined.
Much of the research that does exist exploring the development of mental health
literacy among teachers comes from Jorm and his colleagues in Australia (Jorm, 2000;
Jorm, Christensen, & Griffiths, 2005; Jorm, Kitchener, Sawyer, Scales, & Cvetkovski,
2010). They created a Youth Mental Health First Aid course, which instructs teachers
on how to apply an action plan when faced with a student experiencing difficulties. In
one study, Jorm et al. (2010) administered the course to 176 middle-school teachers at
7 schools. As compared with the control group, significant increases were seen in
teachers’ knowledge of mental health issues, intentions toward helping students, and
confidence in delivering programs. Improvements were seen in teacher beliefs and
endorsement of items indicating stigma.
Across Canada, there are a number of initiatives being developed at the school,
community, and provincial levels to better help teachers to recognize and deal with
mental health issues. Although the efficacy of most of these has not been evaluated,
mental health literacy programs have been completed by educators in various parts of
the country. For example, in Alberta, more than 800 teachers completed the Youth
Mental Health First Aid course. In south-central Ontario, a network of school boards,
researchers, and community organizations are working together to provide educators
with the knowledge, understanding, and skills required to teach students with mental
health problems (Bajus, Buchanan, & Hobbs, 2012). Evaluation of the specific educa-
tor guide being employed is also ongoing.
In 2007, the Mental Health and High School Curriculum Guide was created by
Dr. Stan Kutcher in collaboration with the Canadian Mental Health Association (Teen
Mental Health, 2012). This initiative provides information for teachers as part of a
program delivered to students within the regular Health and Physical Education cur-
riculum. The program has been piloted in a number of schools and several local evalu-
ations have been conducted. Results to date indicate that teacher knowledge and
attitudes improved significantly after taking part in training and satisfaction with the
training was very high (Wei, McLuckie, & Kutcher, 2012). In their review of school-
based mental health programs, however, Han and Weiss (2005) suggested that the
provision of teacher training may not be sufficient over the long term, even with struc-
tural support. They suggest a combination of classroom practice and performance
feedback to maintain the highest levels of fidelity.
There are also a few initiatives related to mental health that exist in pre-service
Bachelor of Education (BEd) programs. Clearly, this is a crucial time when large num-
bers of future educators can be better informed and engaged with information related
to the mental health of their students. Previous research has demonstrated the potential
that pre-service programs can have in shaping the beliefs, practices, and efficacy of
candidates (Brownlee, Petriwskyj, Thorpe, Stacey, Phillip & Gibson, 2011; Darling-
Hammond, 2000; Hong & Lin, 2010; Stacey, Brownlee, Thorpe, & Reeves, 2005).
Whitley et al. 63

With respect to pre-service preparation, the curricula of BEd programs vary both
within and across provinces but typically comprise courses focused on teachable sub-
jects, pedagogical approaches, educational issues, curriculum and assessment, and
classroom practice. Whatever the approach taken by the BEd program, it is becoming
increasingly clear that mental health literacy is a topic critical to teacher preparation
and that ways must be found to integrate this into courses to better serve Canadian
children. It is also important that, rather than simply continuing to add courses to
already intensive programs, research and theory in the area of teacher education is
carefully considered in exploring thoughtful ways of training teachers more effec-
tively. For example, infusing content such as that related to mental health literacy into
existing subject courses such as Health and Physical Education is an approach that has
been supported by researchers (Loreman & Earle, 2007; Voltz, 2003; Woloshyn,
Bennett, & Berrill, 2003). A focus on bullying is also being included within some
Health and Physical Education courses.

Bullying
Because bullying is a significant psychosocial problem that is pervasive in Canadian
schools, education authorities have implemented some significant policy solutions to
address bullying over the past decade. For example, the province of Ontario requires all
schools to implement bullying prevention initiatives and more recently amended the
Education Act to require educators to report serious incidents of bullying to parents of
victimized children (Education Amendment Act, 2009). In 2012, the Province of
Quebec initiated a multipronged strategy to address school bullying, and education
authorities in most other Canadian provinces have implemented similar strategies in
recent years. Additionally, there are mounting social pressures on school systems to
address bullying, and these are evident in parental expectations about their children’s
safety at school as well as in recent law suits against school authorities related to bully-
ing (Findlay, 2011; McKiernan, 2010). For many reasons, Canadian schools are being
compelled to take serious steps to address bullying problems.
Teachers’ roles in these initiatives are pivotal given their proximity to children and
to bullying incidents when they occur. Their roles are also critical to curbing bullying,
since bullying involves complex power dynamics that often defy children’s capacities
to solve them. PREVNet (Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network,
n.d.; see www.prevnet.ca), a Canadian consortium of researchers and non-governmen-
tal organizations devoted to the cause of eliminating bullying, defines bullying as a
“relationship problem that requires relationship solutions”:

Within the relationship context of bullying, those children who bully are learn-
ing how to use power and aggression to control and distress another; those
children who are repeatedly victimized become trapped in abusive relationships
that are increasingly difficult to escape. (p. 1)
64 Canadian Journal of School Psychology 28(1)

As a consequence, teachers, as responsible adults involved in children’s social

lives, must assist children caught in these maladaptive relationships—both victim-
ized children and those doing the bullying—to learn more prosocial ways of relating
in order to mitigate the long-term damage to everyone involved in bullying.
Although the case for teachers’ roles in bullying solutions is strong, as mentioned
previously, there are many indications in the research that teachers struggle to meet
this challenge. The first of these concerns teachers’ difficulty in identifying bullying
for what it is. Findings of an earlier U.S. study indicate that educators are, on the
whole, not skilled in distinguishing bullying from other forms of aggression that lack
the insidious relational dynamics of bullying (Hazler, Miller, Carney, & Green, 2001).
Additionally, educators in this study were more likely to identify conflicts as bullying
when there was physical aggression versus social aggression. In a Canadian qualita-
tive study, Mishna et al. (2005) found that teachers’ stereotypes about children who are
victimized (e.g., depressed and unassertive) interfered with their ability to identify
victimized children who did not fit the stereotypes.
In light of the difficulties teachers tend to have in identifying bullying, it is not
surprising that they also face challenges in intervening effectively. Yoon and Kerber
(2003) found that teachers judged indirect relational bullying as less serious than direct
physical bullying, and consequently proposed to intervene less frequently and to be
more lenient with children who bullied using relational strategies. Blain-Arcaro et al.
(2012) found that Canadian teachers’ decisions to intervene in bullying situations were
most strongly motivated by the distress evidenced by victimized children when bul-
lied, implying that children who hide their distress during bullying are much less likely
to get teachers’ help. There were also remnants of the tenacious myth that victimized
children somehow deserve what they get in the finding that teachers were much less
inclined to intervene in bullying if it appeared that the victimized child had aggravated
the bullying child.
Some of these shortcomings in teachers’ knowledge of bullying prevention and
intervention are likely explained in part by shortcomings in training. Blain-Arcaro
et al. (2012) revealed that only half of their sample of Ontario teachers had ever
received specific training on bullying; and this in a province in which bullying pre-
vention has been required in schools for several years. Not surprisingly, many teach-
ers felt under-prepared to deal with bullying incidents and the large majority of
teachers wanted additional training. Similarly, in a recent study of pre-service teach-
ers at the end of coursework in a BEd program, respondents reported that only half
had formal instruction related to bullying (through a class or workshop), and 10% of
respondents had any instruction in bullying prevention specifically (Ihnat, 2011). On
the positive side, pre-service teachers in the treatment group of this study that received
brief training specifically related to bullying prevention and intervention showed
gains relative to the control group in the quality of their responses to a set of bullying
scenarios. This suggests that teachers can benefit from structured learning opportuni-
ties related to bullying.
Whitley et al. 65

Discussion
The need for the development of mental health literacy among educators, including a
focus on bullying, has been highlighted by those within and beyond school walls
(Blain-Arcaro et al., 2012; Hazler et al., 2001). The proportion of children and youth
struggling with mental health issues twinned with the lack of literacy expressed by
teachers in various studies support this need. The notion that mental health issues are
irrelevant in what has traditionally been viewed as a strictly academic environment is,
fortunately, on the wane.
Ongoing professional learning for teachers and all school staff is clearly warranted.
It is important to include within the many initiatives currently being developed and
implemented a focus on research exploring ways to effectively prepare teachers, both
in pre- and in-service settings. It is no longer sufficient to provide “one-off” work-
shops to teachers with facts about mental illnesses and bullying and expect practices
to change substantially in school systems. Although many teachers have received
some kind of training, studies continue to document the lack of efficacy on the part of
teachers with respect to mental health literacy. Recent improvements may not have
been captured by the research that has been conducted; it is also possible that the train-
ing in place is not as effective as imagined.
The material covered within mental health literacy training needs to reflect the
gaps in understanding that is evidenced in the literature. For example, teachers con-
tinue to overlook relational bullying and focus interventions on more physical forms
and are also less likely to act in cases where the victimized child appears to have
aggravated the bullying child; this demonstrates a lack of understanding of the rela-
tional nature of bullying and the effective means of intervention (Blain-Arcaro et al.,
2012; Yoon & Kerber, 2003). In addition, although teachers may gain knowledge and
understanding of mental health issues as a result of their participation in a particular
program, how this affects their future actions within the classroom has yet to be deter-
mined. Findings from previous research indicate that the perceptions that teachers
have regarding the nature of student difficulties have a significant impact on the steps
they take to resolve these (e.g., Blain-Arcaro et al., 2012; Stanovich & Jordan, 1998).
Teacher beliefs and perceptions regarding mental health issues need to be considered
within any training program.
It is also important to consider the preferences of teachers when developing and
implementing mental health literacy programs. Cunningham et al. (2009) describe
the complex preferences of teachers regarding the types of bullying prevention pro-
grams they favoured. One finding that emerged from the study was that, regardless of
their particular views of the types of programs that should be adopted, teachers tended
to opt for programs supported by the anecdotal reports of colleagues rather than those
based on scientific evidence. The notion of professional learning communities and
the strong and persistent benefits of teacher collaboration and sharing emerge
throughout the literature (Dufour, 2004; Joyce, Calhoun, & Hopkins, 1999).
According to Fullan (2002), “information, of which we have a glut, only becomes
knowledge thorough a social process” (p. 18). In order for real changes in practice
66 Canadian Journal of School Psychology 28(1)

and culture to take place, educators need to engage in continuous learning by observ-
ing each others’ practice, discussing and reflecting on various approaches and strate-
gies, and sharing with other schools engaging in similar processes (Dufour, Dufour,
Eaker, & Many, 2006; Fullan, 2002).
We are not suggesting that teachers bear responsibility for providing therapeutic
interventions to their students with mental health problems; this is clearly not their role
in the school system. However, given the significant influence that educators have on
the development of children and the numerous documented links between academic
and psychosocial development, a sustained, research-based focus on effective ways of
promoting mental health literacy among teachers will help Canadian children and
youth to reach their potential.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship,
and/or publication of this article.

Funding
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this
article.

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Author Biographies
Jessica Whitley is an Associate Professor of Inclusive Education at the University of Ottawa.
She, along with Drs. Vaillancourt and Smith, is a member of the Comprehensive School Health
Educational Research Unit at the University of Ottawa. Her research interests include exploring
the psychosocial wellbeing of students with exceptionalities including relationships between
classroom- and school-level factors, student self-concept, and internalizing and externalizing
behaviours. She is currently assessing teacher perceptions and beliefs with regards to students’
mental health difficulties with the goals of improving mental health literacy among pre- and
in-service teachers and ultimately improving outcomes for students.

J. David Smith is Professor of Counselling at the Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa.

His primary research interests centre on school-based bullying prevention programs, with a
particular emphasis on understanding how they can be made to be more effective. His current
program of research is designed to study the links among school climate, children’s attachment
to school and bullying. Dr. Smith is a member of PREVNet and BRNET, both international
networks of researchers, educators, and community-based organizations committed to the pre-
vention of bullying and promotion of healthy relationships among children.

Tracy Vaillancourt is a Canada Research Chair in Children’s Mental Health and Violence
Prevention at the University of Ottawa where she is cross-appointed as a full professor in the Faculty
of Education (counselling program) and in the School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences. Dr.
Vaillancourt is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience, &
Behaviour at McMaster University and a core member of the Offord Centre for Child Studies. Dr.
Vaillancourt’s research examines the links between aggression and children’s mental health func-
tioning, with a particular focus on social neuroscience. She is currently funded by the Canadian
Institutes for Health Research.

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