Promoting Mental Well-Being through Social and Emotional Learning in Schools: The SEL Resource Finder
Poster by: Randip Gill, Shelley Hymel, Angela Low, Lindsay Starosta
Sessions B/D | 9:45 – 10:00/10:45 – 11:00 | Room Main Corridor, 2nd Floor
Abstract:
A 2010 report by the Mental Health Association of Ontario indicates that Canada spends over $14 billion annually on the treatment of mental illness. The Canadian Psychological Association projects that, by 2020 mental health issues will be the country’s leading health care cost. And it is not enough, with an estimated 20-25% of children and youth experiencing significant mental health difficulties that warrant social services, though only a small proportion receive such support. Promoting social-emotional learning (SEL) in schools is increasingly recognized as foundational to positive mental health. Creating safe, supportive and accepting school environments can reduce the stigma of mental health difficulties, encourage help-seeking when needed, and promote mental well-being in all children. This poster reviews the links between SEL and positive mental health. Despite a proliferation of programs and resources designed to promote SEL and positive mental health, such information is scattered and often difficult to locate. Accordingly, this poster also provides an overview of how to use a new online resource, the SEL Resource Finder, to promote SEL and mental well-being in schools. This website provides an extensive set of online links to current information about SEL and mental health, access practitioner-rated descriptions and links to resources (programs, activities, videos, books) for fostering SEL, and find tools to assess social-emotional competencies and the effectiveness of SEL interventions. The website also provides links to mental health resources and tools for educators to learn about mental health issues and ways to support affected students.
