Identity-Affirming School Mental Health: A Frame for Reflection and Action

This toolkit was developed by School Mental Health Ontario (SMHO).

HERE’S HOW THE CREATORS DESCRIBE THIS TOOLKIT:

Schools are well placed to work alongside the community and healthcare settings to support the unique mental health needs of every student in Ontario. The system of care varies across the province based on local needs, strengths, and available resources. In Ontario, the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified existing disparities and disproportionalities related to mental health supports inside and outside of school. In response, the multi-tiered system of mental health support in schools needs to be applied in an agile manner, centring the needs of those most marginalized and oppressed historically and presently, especially Indigenous and Black students.

This toolkit explores the following subjects, and outlines the four pillars of the Identity-Affirming School Mental Health Frame, as depicted above (Dismantle, Engage, Amplify, and Respond), providing additional resources.

• What is identity-affirming school mental health?
• Why is an Identity-Affirming School Mental Health Frame needed?
• Goal of the Identity-Affirming School Mental Health Frame
• Decentring whiteness in school mental health
• Centring Black and Indigenous experiences
• Who and what contributed to the development of the Identity-Affirming School Mental Health Frame?

This toolkit is available online through School Mental Health Ontario.

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Categorised in: Toolkit