Abstract
Introduction
Mental health has increasingly become a focal point in schools and educational communities in recent years (Leschied, Flett, & Saklofske, 2012). Rather than solely concentrating on disorders or disabilities, a shift has been made toward a focus on positive mental health, and providing enriching environments for all students. Classrooms that embrace a positive mental health framework are working toward prevention, inclusion, compassionate support, and healthy development (Schwean & Rodger, 2013). This book written by Dr. Patrick Carney provides educators with a greater understanding of positive mental health and the tools with which to implement useful strategies for the benefit of their students. The author hopes to describe a framework for instructors to foster support for all students by promoting healthy habits at a universal level before targeted interventions are needed at an individual level.
Content and Organization
Teachers have always strived to foster healthy development and well-being in their students. However, in recent years, the educational community has begun to recognize areas in which improvement is needed when it comes to students’ mental health. Chapter 1 of this book outlines areas that require greater focus, suggesting that educators need to expand their knowledge in regard to mental health and implement more evidence-based strategies to generate positive learning environments. The focus of this book is to arm educators with the tools to promote positive mental health in all students, at every level of the school community. It is not intended to offer advice or information about targeted preventions or interventions. The “Well Aware” model—a model for well-being—is briefly introduced and consists of resilience, flourishing, and an active lifestyle. This chapter briefly summarizes the three approaches that are foundational to well-being: healthy school and community environments, social-emotional learning (SEL), and focusing on students’ strengths.
Chapter 2 describes the whole-school, whole-community approach, a method that involves creating a healthy and caring environment in the classroom and the school by continuously promoting positive mental health. A large part of this approach focuses on the teachers and their roles in positive mental health promotion. Teachers are responsible for four broad areas: the teacher–student relationship, mental health literacy, teaching and learning, and the school and classroom environment. Each of these areas is discussed in detail with an emphasis placed on how teachers can promote resilience, flourishing, and activity. Carney explains that to create a caring environment, there needs to be a supportive classroom community, a supportive school community, and a supportive broader community. Strategies to create these caring environments are discussed and emphasis is placed on creating a diverse and inclusive classroom that is free of stigma. This chapter describes potential barriers and issues that some individuals or groups of people might experience (e.g., refugees, First Nations). Solutions are offered that will promote a sensitive and inclusive environment while still acknowledging individual and cultural differences.
SEL is a strategy that combines social awareness and relationship management with emotional self-awareness and self-management. SEL helps develop strong socioemotional intelligence in students that includes sustaining positive, caring relationships, dealing with challenges effectively, and demonstrating care and concern for others. Chapter 3 highlights the importance of developing socioemotionally strong students and provides approaches and strategies to achieve this goal. Similar to the other chapters, classroom scenarios are provided to give the reader a framework that will help them recognize instances when socioemotional intelligence can be improved and how to accomplish this. The importance of self-regulation is highlighted and models are presented that explain the different areas of self-regulation (e.g., biological, cognitive, social). Carney then suggests ways that teachers can recognize and promote effective self-regulation in the classroom. This chapter effectively translates socioemotional research into practice by providing teachers with the knowledge and strategies necessary to guide their students along the path of healthy socioemotional development and toward positive mental health.
In addition to understanding and using emotional responses appropriately, it is important to celebrate student differences and recognize them as strengths they can use to their advantage. Chapter 4 gives a detailed look at a strengths-based approach to learning. Rather than looking for weaknesses to “fix,” Carney argues the focus should be on discovering what the children can already do and their future potential. Challenges the children encounter should be seen as opportunities to learn and grow, and should not define or label the children in a negative manner. Several strengths-based strategies are presented, including classroom exercises and ways to alter biased language and media exposure. This chapter also details specific “gifts” children have that may lead to problems if not nurtured effectively. High intelligence, high sensitivity, introversion, high activity, and high excitement are all highlighted for their strengths, possible challenges, and strategies educators can use to promote well-being.
The previous chapters provide the reader with a detailed look at three approaches educators may use to foster positive mental health in their classrooms and their schools. Chapter 5 discusses the “Well Aware” model, the foundation of each of these approaches, which aims to promote flourishing, resilience, and an active lifestyle. To begin, the chapter describes in detail various skills, attitudes, and strategies that help students build resilience. The author discusses how to recognize resilience and provides examples of how resilience is occasionally disguised in attitudes and behaviors that appear undesirable. This serves as a reminder to teachers that it is important to take a closer look at students’ behavior. Next, the chapter focuses on the importance of an active lifestyle and provides empirical evidence demonstrating the link between physical activity and improved mental health. Suggestions are given to help promote physical activity in schools, and to provide students with the tools to develop an active lifestyle, both inside and out of the school environment. For instance, stretch breaks and yoga can be included in daily routines to promote movement and a calming environment. Last, the concept of flourishing is guided by Seligman’s (2011) research on well-being and involves being engaged, experiencing positive emotions, developing positive relationships, finding meaning in everyday experiences, and feeling a sense of accomplishment. The chapter concludes with real-life examples of schools that have wholly embraced positive mental health promotion and flourishing and discusses their approaches and results.
The sixth and final chapter of Carney’s book addresses how important it is for educators to manage their own well-being as it is a crucial step in promoting student well-being. Research and individual case samples are highlighted to indicate the impact instructors’ well-being can have on their teaching effectiveness (Vesely, Saklofske, & Leschied, 2013; Whitley, Smith, & Vaillancourt, 2013). When teachers take care of their mental health at personal, social, and environmental levels, this tends to strengthen their social and emotional intelligence, which in turn is reflected in their teaching practices. Carney provides several resources to enhance educator socioemotional intelligence, as well as tips to maintain a lifestyle balance. To improve resilience and personal competency, techniques are suggested for self-awareness, managing emotions, self-motivation, empathy, and managing relationships. The importance of a caring and inclusive professional environment is also emphasized. Having a sense of belonging within the school community and maintaining positive relationships among the staff are essential. Open communication between teachers and principals is key to providing teachers with support when solving problems and autonomy when making decisions and trying new things.
The book concludes with a reminder that fostering the positive aspects of mental health applies not only to the students, but also to the whole school community, of which educators are an essential component. This theme is reflected in the recent writings of many Canadian psychologists and educators (e.g., Lean & Colucci, 2013).
Critique
This book is well-written, accessible, and helpful. It emphasizes the importance of taking an active approach to engendering positive mental health in school communities, and provides both anecdotal and empirical evidence to support its benefits. Although at times a bit redundant, the book nevertheless does a good job of informing educators of the theory behind each new strategy and in giving suggestions of how to explicitly implement them. The concrete examples of tools to use in the classroom (e.g., strengths wall and fidget toys), along with teacher anecdotes, are extremely valuable and shift the book from being simply informative to instructional.
In the Chapter 4 discussion of a strengths-based approach to learning, the author refers to Gardner’s multiple intelligences (Gardner, 1983) as a resource for understanding students’ strengths and individual learning styles. It is suggested that multimodal teaching approaches and differentiated instructional strategies are an important aspect of strengths-based learning. Although modifying teaching strategies to optimize student success is generally good advice, teachers should be wary of tailoring their instruction to specific learning styles, as this particular intervention is not substantiated by empirical evidence (Dembo & Howard, 2007; Olson, 2006).
A thorough explanation of the “Well Aware” model is presented in Chapter 5, but as this is the foundational basis for the book, the reviewers feel it would be better placed near the beginning. Doing so would aid the reader in understanding how each of the approaches outlined in other chapters are intended to nurture resilient, active, and flourishing students. Nevertheless, the text does a good job of reminding educators of their influence in matters beyond academic achievement, and reveals that focusing on children’s well-being may improve their grades as a secondary consequence.
A positive view of the role of educators and their influence on students’ social and emotional development is presented in the text, though the reader should keep in mind this is written in an optimal context. The ability of teachers to implement true changes to their classroom structure can be dependent on not only many factors beyond their control such as school financial resources and principal support but also issues external to the school including home and community factors and poverty. Teachers unable to take risks and try new “things” may be limited in their ability to utilize some of the strategies suggested in this book. Instructors teaching grade levels where the primary focus is preparing students for standardized tests may find it difficult to take time for emotional learning. Likewise, if teachers have children with special needs in their classrooms, but lack the educational assistance to support them, they may have less time to understand and take advantage of the strengths of their students. The reviewers would like to see techniques given for these more challenging and very common situations. Despite these limitations, the author has provided several different strategies with the understanding that it may not be possible to implement them all. It is therefore advisable to use strategies that are feasible for each educator’s individual position and then build on that framework when opportunities arise.
This book is a good resource for both teachers and administrators to gain a better understanding of their significant role in relation to their students’ needs and positive development. It should be noted, however, that though the volume is marketed toward all instructors, the strategies suggested appear to be aimed toward an elementary or middle school level. High school instructors can undoubtedly benefit from the theory and understanding of how a positive emotional environment can affect learning, though they will have a more difficult time implementing the suggested strategies when their time spent with students is limited to an hour or two a day. Overall, this book should be read and interpreted within the context of each school and each teacher’s individual situation while encouraging movement toward a more system-wide application that will benefit all children.