Mental health in Ontario schools

Mental health is an essential component of overall health. It is important to equip our young people with the knowledge and skills they need to support positive mental health throughout their lives.

Learning about mental health in Ontario schools takes place:

The HPE curriculum takes a comprehensive approach to learning about mental health. Important aspects include:

  • social-emotional learning skills
  • knowledge and skills related to mental health
  • making connections between physical and mental health
  • signs and symptoms of mental health problems
  • identifying mental health stigma and ways to counteract it
  • ways to seek support for themselves and their peers

Learning about mental health fits naturally in the elementary HPE curriculum, where students are learning all about healthy development. In each grade, mental health is integrated with learning about overall health in a developmentally appropriate way.

In addition, Grade 7 and 8 students learn about mental health through teacher-led mental health literacy modules aligned with the HPE curriculum. These modules were developed by our mental health partner, School Mental Health Ontario.

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) skills

Throughout the curriculum, students also learn to apply SEL skills. SEL skills help students foster their own overall health and well-being, positive mental health, resilience and ability to learn and thrive.

The table below shows what students learn about and why.

Students learn about:So they can:
identifying and managing emotionsexpress their feelings and understand the feelings of others
coping with stressdevelop resilience
positive motivationbuild a sense of hope and the will to keep trying for their goals
building relationshipssupport healthy relationships and respect diversity
deepening their sense of selfbuild an understanding of their own identity and feel that they belong
thinking critically and creativelysupport decision-making and problem solving

Students apply these everyday skills as part of their learning across the other 3 parts of the curriculum, and in their experiences at school, at home and in the community.

A few examples of how these skills could be integrated with the other 3 parts of the curriculum (Active Living, Movement Competence and Healthy Living) are outlined below.

Grade 1: To learn about positive motivation, students practise showing willingness to try out new skills and keep practising. (Movement Competence)

Grade 2: To practise identifying and managing emotions, students try taking a moment to breathe deeply and refocus if they are feeling anxious or upset before starting a physical activity. (Active Living)

Grade 3: To build relationships, students working in small groups practise welcoming everyone and being willing to be a partner with anyone in the group. (Active Living)

Grade 4: As they learn about coping with stress, students explain how knowing about physical and emotional changes that come with puberty can help them handle those changes when they occur. (Healthy Living)

Grade 5: To practise thinking critically and creatively, students make connections between being active, working towards personal fitness goals and mental health. (Active Living)

Grade 6: To deepen their sense of self, students think about how stereotypes affect how they feel about themselves and identify other factors, including acceptance by others, that influence their sense of themselves. (Healthy Living)

Grade 7: As they learn about coping with stress, students explain how to access various sources of support (for example, school staff, family, counselling and medical professionals) when dealing with mental health challenges or issues related to substance use. (Healthy Living)

Grade 8: To practise identifying and managing emotions, students explain how social media can create feelings of stress and describe strategies, such as connecting thoughts, feelings, and actions, that can help maintain balance and perspective. (Healthy Living)

Supporting students

There is strong evidence that developing social-emotional learning skills at school contributes to student well-being and successful academic performance. Learning about mental health can also help to reduce the stigma around problems in this area. When students understand that many people experience mental health difficulties from time to time, and that there is support available when needed, they are more likely to seek help early when problems arise.

As they develop SEL skills, students will also:

  • gain “transferable skills” (for example, self-directed learning, collaboration, critical thinking, communication and innovation)
  • develop “learning skills and work habits” as they learn to set goals, follow through and overcome challenges.

Taken together, these skills help foster overall health and well-being, and the ability to learn, build resilience and thrive. Helping students make connections among these skills is key to enhancing their learning experience in school and throughout their lives.