Tackling mental wellness in education: from teachers’ training to students’ well-being

Although global awareness of mental health in schools has grown consistently in recent times, there is still a long way to go to create a safe environment for all. In the field of education, especially, responsibilities are much heavier, particularly concerning young students. Let’s dive into the topic!

Empowering educators to address mental health in schools through technology

Children and young adults face a very challenging time regarding mental wellness, and unfortunately, disruptive and critical behaviours are frequent. Therefore, educators should be equipped to interact with students effectively during this critical phase of their development to enhance their best qualities.

Thus, the first point of intervention must focus on teachers’ training, and technology can play a crucial role. As we know, tech in schools is essential for contemporary education, serving both students and teachers, especially regarding knowledge accessibility. Most information on the internet is available for free, meaning anybody can grasp the basics of any topic, even a complex one such as mental health issues.

However, school institutions must pave the way for an improvement in mental health assessment by providing teachers with adequate training. While up to fifteen years ago, this action required significant effort and investment, these days, the online realm offers plenty of solutions to educate on students’ well-being ¹ – all you need is a device with an internet connection.

Digital solutions for mental health awareness and intervention in schools

After stressing the central role of teachers with mental health in schools, let’s discuss some digital solutions all institutions can easily implement to promote mental wellness.

Software for timely intervention

With mental health issues, prevention is key, and the best way to achieve it is by keeping a record of all concerns students may present. However, storing information for an entire student body while guaranteeing all rights to privacy is only possible with proper data-storing software ².

Therefore, technology not only helps store and organize important information but also facilitates communication among students, educators, and health professionals and ensures consistent follow-up. This way, educators have an overview of students’ well-being to access when needed, boosting timely interventions. 

Online therapy

Therapy is a pivotal tool to foster mental wellness; however, it is still difficult for schools to provide a mental health expert on-site at all times due to economic and accessibility challenges.

Therefore, a valid and easier solution is online therapy ³, which provides accessibility from anywhere according to the availability of students and therapists. Additionally, this is a great solution to ensure that every student receives mental health support regardless of their financial situation.

Heart rate monitoring 

A rather innovative solution to educate students about emotional well-being and help them recognize their emotions is heart rate monitoring. This activity is made possible by devices that track students’ heart rates with a sensor, sending a Bluetooth signal to notify students of any anomalies directly on their devices.

This way, students can learn to connect their physical reactions with their emotional responses, leading to a mindful understanding of their stress or excitement levels and helping them develop effective coping skills.

Tech tools for creating safe and supportive school environments

Now, after discussing the topic from a broader perspective, it is time to tackle some practical examples of tech tools that can be adopted to foster mental health in schools:

7 Mindsets 

7 Mindsets is an online platform that provides comprehensive mindset-based and mental health learning solutions to prepare learners for education in the best way possible. It offers several different services directed to both students and educators.

Neolth

Educators and health professionals designed Neolth, a digital mental health platform that features both student self-assessment services and ready-made lesson plans for educators. 

Mindful.org

This website is a mental health blog providing articles on every aspect of mental wellness, as well as premium courses. Mindful.org is an easily accessible solution for teacher training.

Students Against Depression

Students Against Depression is a website that offers mental support to anyone struggling with low mood and dark thoughts. In addition to expert opinions, it also features real students’ testimonies and advice.

Evaluating the effectiveness of tech-based mental health initiatives in schools

Reinforcing mental health in schools means providing students with the best possible learning environment to enhance their talents and support the development of their skills. Nonetheless, students often face stress caused by the pressure of constant evaluation.

This acknowledgement has led more schools to embrace positive education ⁴: a teaching approach that reflects on the school curriculum and philosophy, revolving around helping learners develop their personal strengths through mindfulness and community engagement.

However, this educational approach is demanding. Training educators, providing every student with support, and fostering dialogue to build a community require major efforts that not all institutions can afford. Thus, once again, introducing technology in schools can represent a shortcut.

As mentioned previously, technology can facilitate the flow of knowledge, empowering educators to provide mental support according to each student’s individual needs and clinical history. In addition, solutions such as online therapy make professional help much more accessible, while the right platform can reinforce a sense of community by allowing students to communicate not only with each other but also with educators and therapists.

In Conclusion

To conclude, let us share some food for thought: technology is often overlooked as it is accused of contributing to human alienation. However, in recent times, we have learned that it can be quite the opposite.

When it comes to mental health in schools, as in many other areas of education, technology can be a motor of human connection, making a positive contribution to building a space for exchange that, although virtual, is extremely valuable. ⁵

 

Sources: 

1. World Health Organization. “Mental Health in Schools.” 
2. Terry, Heather. “Addressing Student Mental Health Needs with Technology.” Raptor Technologies®, 16 Feb. 2024
3. Shimalla, Alexandra. “Mental Health in K–12 Schools: How Tech Can Help.” Technology Solutions That Drive Education 
4. University of Melbourne, Professor Dianne Vella-Brodrick, “How Technology Is Boosting Our Young People’s Wellbeing.” Pursuit, 30 Apr. 2019
5. Reuterskiold, Carl. “Council Post: The Need for Technology during a Growing Mental Health Backlog in Schools.” Forbes