Mapping education leadership of mental health promotion in one school district in British Columbia: A strength-based case study
Mental illness is a public health emergency threatening youth's social, physical, and economic vitality (Fahey & Koster, 2019). School-based mental health initiatives have been identified as a sustainable approach to this issue (World Health Organization, 2019). This study employed a qu...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2024-06-01
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| Series: | Social and Emotional Learning: Research, Practice, and Policy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2773233924000056 |
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| Summary: | Mental illness is a public health emergency threatening youth's social, physical, and economic vitality (Fahey & Koster, 2019). School-based mental health initiatives have been identified as a sustainable approach to this issue (World Health Organization, 2019). This study employed a qualitative case-based methodology to understand how educational leaders effectively implement mental health policies and programming. Three significant findings were identified: 1) the leadership of mental health initiatives formed a closely interconnected network of relationships with distributed responsibility across clearly identified roles and responsibilities within the school system and externally with the province and community-based supports; 2) Making network attributes and patterns of communication visible provided district and school-based leaders with discernable areas for intervention and growth serving as an impetus for system improvement; 3). Systems that effectively implement mental health policies and programming intentionally utilize multi-level, multi-institutional, and multi-disciplinary implementation teams by co-developing innovative ways to remove barriers to service. Impact Statement: Mental illness is a public health emergency threatening the social, physical, and economic vitality of our youth (Fahey & Koster, 2019). There is an urgent need to better understand how educational leaders effectively implement mental health promotion and intervention policies and programming across a school district. By studying the school district's organizational structure and leadership practices, a deeper understanding of how district and school-based leaders implement mental health promotion and early intervention practices in their school system was generated. This strength-based case study serves as a novel illustration to guide policymakers, system and school-based leaders working in school-based mental health. |
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| ISSN: | 2773-2339 |