New, Interactive Mental Health Resources Now Available

In collaboration with national and state partners and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s Student Services/Prevention and Wellness team, Wisconsin's students and educators now have access to new, interactive mental health resources that focus on building wellness and meeting the emerging needs of students.

 

Funded through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER I) Grant Program’s state education agency set-aside funds - part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act - the Stigma Reduction Toolkit, Mental Health Referral Pathways Module, and Mental Health Literacy Units of Instruction are new resources focused on mental health, and are available to schools at no cost. Through extensive research, these new projects aid students in maintaining wellness and supporting others who may be struggling and dealing with mental health challenges.

 

 

Developed by Rogers InHealth, in association with the DPI, the Stigma Reduction Toolkit provides students, teachers, caregivers, and school staff in-depth evidence-based approaches aimed at decreasing stigma surrounding mental health. Through interaction with those experiencing mental health challenges, stereotypes can be broken. These interactive lessons can be used in classrooms, clubs, and during advisory periods. Caregivers are provided resources to facilitate these conversations at home for safe and further exploration of topics.

 

The Stigma Reduction Toolkit is now available on the DPI’s website at https://dpi.wi.gov/sspw/mental-health/framework/universal-practices/literacy.

 

 

Developed by Elizabeth Connors of the Yale School of Medicine, modules within this project focus on helping teams build mental health referral pathways through gradual action steps and interconnected tools and examples. Another module includes examples of how two Wisconsin school districts developed school mental health referral pathways.

 

The Mental Health Referral Pathway modules are available on the DPI’s website at https://dpi.wi.gov/sspw/mental-health/framework/referral-pathways.

 

 

Children often learn to maintain wellness and support others who may be struggling through exploration. These mental health literacy units of instruction have been prepared for elementary, middle, and high school students and gradually build in exploration as students grow. These units include resources to differentiate and integrate lessons into other content areas. Below are the units of instruction that are taught throughout a student’s education path.

 

The Mental Health Literacy Unites of Instruction are available on the DPI’s website at https://dpi.wi.gov/sspw/mental-health/framework/universal-practices/literacy.