Why Schools Need Online Mental Health Training for Teachers

Key takeaways:

• Mental health training for teachers helps educators manage classroom behavior and improve student learning.

• Teachers may resist getting involved in mental health support because they lack skills and training.
• Basic online PD can help teachers recognize mental health issues and learn tactics they can use immediately in the classroom.

The rise in behavioral and emotional outbursts at school is clear evidence that students need help. But with reduced budgets, many districts are struggling to provide support for mental health in schools. 

Here’s an affordable solution that leverages resources you already have: your talented staff. Providing online mental health training for teachers improves outcomes for students, staff, and the district.

Mental health training for teachers: the need and the barriers

As educators recognize issues that impede learning, school districts have had to evolve and find ways to overcome obstacles such as food insecurity and special needs. Today, a significant issue that’s preventing students from learning is mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, trauma, and emotional dysregulation. That’s why mental health support in schools is the next evolution of education.

Teachers can play an important role in school-based mental health support. However, they may be uncomfortable about that at first, for a variety of reasons:

• It’s unfamiliar and outside their comfort zone.
• They lack the training to recognize mental health issues and the skills to intervene effectively.
• They fear doing the wrong thing and making the problem worse.

The good news is, providing basic mental health support in the classroom doesn't have to be heavy lifting. Basic mental health training for teachers can provide actionable information to better manage the classroom, help students succeed, and reduce stress levels for everyone.

Mental health basics: what teachers need to succeed

Teachers don’t need a degree in psychology to provide basic support that makes a difference in the classroom. Here’s what they do need:

• Awareness: Learning to recognize common student mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.
• Actionable tools and tactics to address behavior incidents in the classroom and prevent future disruption.
• Compassion: Changing their mindset to consider the cause of a student’s problem instead of placing blame.
• Confidence: Believing in their own skills and ability to overcome classroom challenges.

After completing two online lessons focused on common mental health issues and effective interventions, teachers can do a great deal to boost student success. Not to mention boosting their own competency and job satisfaction.

Support your teachers with online mental health training

Thrive’s Mental Health Basics PD Bundle helps break down resistance and provide the tools teachers need to help students become better learners. 

The series includes two asynchronous presentations that your staff can watch together or independently:

• Instructional Strategies to Address Stress and Anxiety in Your Classroom
• Understanding and Working with Student Depression

Each presentation includes a 30-50 minute video, a discussion guide to reinforce learning, and additional resources to share with faculty, students, and parents.

“It already has impacted my role as a special education teacher. I have been able to use what I learned in my classroom. I have had incredible outcomes with my students. These courses have made me a better educator.” - Yamilka Scobar, Jersey City, NJ

Learn more about the Mental Health Basics PD Bundle

View Thrive’s complete course catalog