Mapping education leadership of mental health promotion in one school district in British Columbia: A strength-based case study

Mental illness is a public health emergency threatening youth's social, physical, and economic vitality (Fahey & Koster, 2019). School-based mental health initiatives have been identified as a sustainable approach to this issue (World Health Organization, 2019). This study employed a qu...

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Main Authors: J. Turner, S. Friesen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-06-01
Series:Social and Emotional Learning: Research, Practice, and Policy
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2773233924000056
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author J. Turner
S. Friesen
author_facet J. Turner
S. Friesen
author_sort J. Turner
collection DOAJ
description Mental illness is a public health emergency threatening youth's social, physical, and economic vitality (Fahey & Koster, 2019). School-based mental health initiatives have been identified as a sustainable approach to this issue (World Health Organization, 2019). This study employed a qualitative case-based methodology to understand how educational leaders effectively implement mental health policies and programming. Three significant findings were identified: 1) the leadership of mental health initiatives formed a closely interconnected network of relationships with distributed responsibility across clearly identified roles and responsibilities within the school system and externally with the province and community-based supports; 2) Making network attributes and patterns of communication visible provided district and school-based leaders with discernable areas for intervention and growth serving as an impetus for system improvement; 3). Systems that effectively implement mental health policies and programming intentionally utilize multi-level, multi-institutional, and multi-disciplinary implementation teams by co-developing innovative ways to remove barriers to service. Impact Statement: Mental illness is a public health emergency threatening the social, physical, and economic vitality of our youth (Fahey & Koster, 2019). There is an urgent need to better understand how educational leaders effectively implement mental health promotion and intervention policies and programming across a school district. By studying the school district's organizational structure and leadership practices, a deeper understanding of how district and school-based leaders implement mental health promotion and early intervention practices in their school system was generated. This strength-based case study serves as a novel illustration to guide policymakers, system and school-based leaders working in school-based mental health.
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spelling doaj-art-8758a64633274850a6380ac4a7a5f3932025-08-20T02:41:17ZengElsevierSocial and Emotional Learning: Research, Practice, and Policy2773-23392024-06-01310003110.1016/j.sel.2024.100031Mapping education leadership of mental health promotion in one school district in British Columbia: A strength-based case studyJ. Turner0S. Friesen1Centre for Wellbeing in Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada; Corresponding author.Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, CanadaMental illness is a public health emergency threatening youth's social, physical, and economic vitality (Fahey & Koster, 2019). School-based mental health initiatives have been identified as a sustainable approach to this issue (World Health Organization, 2019). This study employed a qualitative case-based methodology to understand how educational leaders effectively implement mental health policies and programming. Three significant findings were identified: 1) the leadership of mental health initiatives formed a closely interconnected network of relationships with distributed responsibility across clearly identified roles and responsibilities within the school system and externally with the province and community-based supports; 2) Making network attributes and patterns of communication visible provided district and school-based leaders with discernable areas for intervention and growth serving as an impetus for system improvement; 3). Systems that effectively implement mental health policies and programming intentionally utilize multi-level, multi-institutional, and multi-disciplinary implementation teams by co-developing innovative ways to remove barriers to service. Impact Statement: Mental illness is a public health emergency threatening the social, physical, and economic vitality of our youth (Fahey & Koster, 2019). There is an urgent need to better understand how educational leaders effectively implement mental health promotion and intervention policies and programming across a school district. By studying the school district's organizational structure and leadership practices, a deeper understanding of how district and school-based leaders implement mental health promotion and early intervention practices in their school system was generated. This strength-based case study serves as a novel illustration to guide policymakers, system and school-based leaders working in school-based mental health.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2773233924000056Educational leadershipEducational improvementMental health promotionMulti-tiered systems of supportSocial network analysisSocial justice
spellingShingle J. Turner
S. Friesen
Mapping education leadership of mental health promotion in one school district in British Columbia: A strength-based case study
Social and Emotional Learning: Research, Practice, and Policy
Educational leadership
Educational improvement
Mental health promotion
Multi-tiered systems of support
Social network analysis
Social justice
title Mapping education leadership of mental health promotion in one school district in British Columbia: A strength-based case study
title_full Mapping education leadership of mental health promotion in one school district in British Columbia: A strength-based case study
title_fullStr Mapping education leadership of mental health promotion in one school district in British Columbia: A strength-based case study
title_full_unstemmed Mapping education leadership of mental health promotion in one school district in British Columbia: A strength-based case study
title_short Mapping education leadership of mental health promotion in one school district in British Columbia: A strength-based case study
title_sort mapping education leadership of mental health promotion in one school district in british columbia a strength based case study
topic Educational leadership
Educational improvement
Mental health promotion
Multi-tiered systems of support
Social network analysis
Social justice
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2773233924000056
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