Biography
Biography: Stanley P. Kutcher
Abstract
Mental health literacy is the foundation for mental health promotion, prevention, intervention and care. Mental health literacy must be developed in a manner consistent with the social ecology of the recipient and based on the best available scientific information. It is essential that young people become mentally health literate. An important route to achieve this is to embed mental health literacy in schools through interventions that are built on existing school ecologies, use well established and globally applicable processes that do not require fidelity of application but that can obtain similar and significant positive results everywhere they are applied. An innovative and novel approach to embedding mental health literacy for youth and teachers through school curriculum resources has been applied and evaluated in numerous different locations across Canada with highly positive results in mental health literacy for youth and teachers alike. This presentation will review the importance of mental health literacy as a foundational construct for health and well-being and will provide detailed information on the successful application of this approach in junior high, secondary and post-secondary settings.