Promoting Mental Health and Well-Being in Schools: An Action Guide for School and District Leaders

On Wednesday, December 6, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a school mental health action guide to support school and district leaders in their efforts to support students’ mental health.

The action guide describes six in-school strategies that are proven to promote and support mental health and well-being. For each strategy, the guide also describes approaches, or specific ways to put the strategy into action and examples of evidence-based policies, programs and practices.

Strategies Include:

1. Increase Students’ Mental Health Literacy
2. Promote Mindfulness
3. Promote Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Learning
4. Enhance Connectedness Among Students, Staff, and Families
5. Provide Psychosocial Skills Training and Cognitive Behavioral Interventions
6. Support Staff Well-Being