Are you a K-12 school ready to take your staff’s mental health awareness training to the next level? 

This module will introduce the participant to (a) the guiding framework and principles of the Iowa Mental Health Initiative, (b) the characteristics participants will learn as they become Partners in School Mental, and (c) will set the stage for individual reflection necessary for improving mental health awareness and crisis response.  

This module promotes participants’ understanding of their role in student mental health, and school mental health more broadly. Participants will learn how to connect and embed mental health awareness with the frameworks of social emotional learning, social emotional and behavioral health, and multi-tiered systems of support.  Participants will also understand the importance of self-wellness as a stakeholder by developing their own individualized wellness plan.   

This module introduces participants to specific empathic communication skills known as microskills. Participants will learn and practice the NORVAS framework (non-verbal communication, open-ended questioning/probing, reflection, validation, affirmation, and solutions) which will enhance their ability to build relationships with students and their families/caregivers.   

This module will emphasize the importance of developing a working alliance (relationship centered in genuineness, empathy, and care with students and their families/caregivers in support of student mental health. In addition, this module will discuss the role of relationships in the mental health of students and schools more broadly, including bullying, social media, and the relational needs of teachers. 

This module introduces participants to the framework of contemplative pedagogy.  Based on the principles and practices of mindfulness, participants will learn strategies to promote (a) focus and attention-building in themselves and students, (b) compassion and community-building in school and community settings, and (c) a deeper understanding of how course materials link to both an increase content knowledge and self-growth, and (Barbezat & Bush, 2014).  

This module introduces participants to the restorative practices framework entitled HEART (Harmony, Empathy, Awareness/Accountability, Relationship-Building/Respect, and Thoughtfulness; Kehoe, Bourke-Taylor, & Broderick, 2018).  Participants will learn specific skills to utilize restorative practices to promote social-emotional learning by transitioning from traditional punitive approaches that disrupt student success to adopting approaches that teach skills such as conflict resolution and making amends. 

This module introduces participants to inclusion frameworks that aid in respecting individual and cultural differences.  Participants will learn and practice how to use inclusive language to support student populations that may have unique challenges including students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, students from rural areas, students with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ students, and students from racial or other minority backgrounds.  

This module will support participants in understanding of adverse childhood experiences and trauma.  Participants will learn how to identify students in need of support by understanding how students’ behavioral patterns in the classroom may be linked to trauma.  Participants will learn to recognize a crisis and develop skills for immediate crisis response utilizing the LAPC (Listen, Assess, Plan, and Commit; Cavaiola & Colford, 2006) framework. Via modeling and skills practice with participants, this module will detail the ways to identify a mental health crisis, and ways to facilitate the successful remediation of a mental health crisis. 

This module integrates mental health and public health frameworks to address social determinants, inclusive of policy, that influence student mental health outcomes.  Participants will identify facilitators and barriers in the school and broader community that promote and/or inhibit mental health for K-12 students.  By identifying school and community-level facilitators and barriers, participants will develop feasible short-term and long-term strategies to advocate for mental health.  

This module concludes the curriculum by reviewing core frameworks inclusive of knowledge and skills gained.  Participants will have the opportunity to reflect on their learning and develop an individualized plan for incorporating this work in their roles interacting with K-12 students and their families/caregivers.