How might those of us located within post-secondary institutions support students who have experience of the mental health system in a meaningful way? Drawing on scholarship in social movement studies and a case study in Ontario, Canada, I distinguish between the prevailing mental health and wellness offerings of educational institutions and…

Many refugee children have experienced trauma. When refugee students enter Canadian classrooms, they bring their trauma with them. Despite this, trauma-informed practices are still not the standard in Canada. When educators use trauma-informed practices, they can help refugee students who are struggling. Implementing trauma-informed professional…

Building a strong and vibrant school community is a vital component of fostering an environment where students thrive academically, emotionally, and socially. The APPLE Schools (appleschools.ca) health promotion project identifies eight essential elements that provide a steady formula for cultivating this environment. Backed by world-class…

Engaging and motivating students in undergraduate statistics courses can be enhanced by using topical peer-reviewed publications for analyses as part of course assignments. Given the popularity of on-campus therapy dog stress-reduction programs, this topic fosters buy-in from students whilst providing information regarding the importance of mental…

Community-based partnerships are integral to mental health programming and research. However, there are limited published guidelines that apply the principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR), especially within the context of supporting vulnerable youth populations. This article demonstrates the application of the CBPR principles…

This article discusses areas of study special education teachers from 2009 to 2022 wished to learn more about or an issue they found challenging and the implications of their professional learning needs.

The onset of most mental illness and substance dependency typically occurs during adolescence and early adulthood, which coincides with the very age when the majority of students are first encountering the pressures associated with postsecondary education. An effective and easy-to-navigate mental health-care system for postsecondary students helps…

Among the social issues exposed by COVID-19, the mental health concerns of Canada's teachers have intensified. A recent national survey conducted by the Canadian Teachers' Federation in October 2020 found almost 70% of respondents were concerned about their mental health and well-being seven months into this national public health emergency.…

Indigenization involves relating traditional cultures to modern methods, concepts, and science to facilitate their use by those populations. Despite attempts to indigenize both the practice of counseling and the content of educational curricula, mental health and educational deficits in Amerindian communities have remained. This article suggests…

Coherent with mental health literacy curricula, mental health assessment and referral is embedded in Canadian educational contexts. Mental health literacy excludes the substantial scholarly critique of mental health produced by psychiatry, the disciplinary base of the field of mental health. In-school student referrals to mental health…

Ryerson University theatre professor Natalie Alvarez is currently helming a large, interdisciplinary team in southern Ontario that is testing the power of Forum Theatre to build better, more responsive scenarios for police officer training in de-escalation and mental crisis response. In this interview, Alvarez sits down with issue editor Kim Solga…

Campuses are becoming increasingly aware of the issues with mental health and well-being among students. This paper explores the context of mental health on campuses and examines the urgent issue of how to address this growing phenomenon. Institutions need to use a holistic perspective to view wellness, and the framework of multiple, interrelated…

As British Columbia's K-12 sector shifts from pandemic response to recovery, it is important to recognize students, staff and families have been impacted in many different ways and that some of the longer-term impacts of the pandemic are yet to be realized. Work is already underway across the province, with schools, school districts and community…

First Nations and Eurocentric approaches in the field of psychology and mental health are rooted in different worldviews which creates incongruencies as to what may be deemed as effective standards of practice. This autoethnography describes the experience of a school psychology intern navigating through practice particularly as it pertains to the…

We summarize current data and understanding about the prevalence of gun violence at schools and risk of rampage school shootings. Following that comes a discussion of gun availability among youth and strategies and practices in the United States and abroad that have been implemented to limit access to firearms for minors. Next, we review the…