PEDM 9000 - Fostering Mental Health in Education

Course Description

The connection between mental health and academic performance is well-known, as students struggling with mental illness have a more difficult time feeling motivated, learning, concentrating, taking tests, and interacting with their teachers and peers. These same individuals also endure the stigma of mental illness and treatment. Despite these challenges, professionals in the field of education are tasked with helping all students achieve their full academic potential. Understanding mental health and how it umbrellas mental illness and its stigmas, is the first step in creating a positive school climate that fosters mental health, resiliency, and self-advocacy in education. This course will equip those who work in an educational setting with the tools to increase mental health awareness, help decrease the stigma of mental illness, create and maintain a climate that encourages mental health, and connect students with resources to continue their support. In addition, this course will provide the educator with methods to help students recognize the connection between their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and develop healthier ways of coping in hopes of empowering students to become self-advocates.