how anti-stigma initiatives align with a board’s mental ... · 7/9/2016  · how anti-stigma...

How Anti-Stigma Initiatives Align with a

Board’s Mental Health and Addiction Strategy

Anne O’Brien, Director of Education

Diane Mullane, Mental Health Leader

Durham Catholic District School Board CASSA: July 9, 2016

Overview of Session

• Providing a Context• Ontario • Durham Catholic District School Board

• Anti-stigma Initiatives at DCDSB

Open Minds, Healthy Minds

Ontario’s Mental Health and Addictions Strategy.

10-year strategy designed to address mental health

and addictions needs in Ontario

http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/pub/mental/pdf/open_minds_healthy_minds_en.pdf

5

Ontario students are flourishing, with a strong sense of belonging at school, ready skills for managing academic and social/emotional challenges, and surrounded by caring adults and communities equipped to identify and intervene early with students struggling with mental health problems

Achieving Excellence Vision for Student Mental Health in Ontario

http://edu.gov.on.ca/eng/about/excellent.html

Goals: 1. Achieving Excellence

1. Ensuring Equity

2. Promoting Well-Being: All children and students will develop enhanced mental and physical health, a positive sense of self and belonging, and the skills to make positive choices.

3. Enhancing Public Confidence

Durham Catholic District School Board

About DCDSB:• Located in Southern Ontario, just east of Toronto • 39 Elementary schools• 7 Secondary schools• 6 Alternative and Continuing Education Sites• Approximately 21,150* students (14 435 Elementary, 6715 Secondary/Alt. Ed.)

Our Motto: Catholic Education: Learning and Living in Faith.

Our Mission: We are called to celebrate and nurture the God-given talents of each student as we serve with excellence in the light of Christ.

(*Numbers are based on reports from Sept 2015)

Together for Mental Health 2014-2017Mental Health and Addictions Strategy

Mission:To create caring and supportive Catholic school communities that promote well-being and maximize achievement for all learners.

i

Silent Survey

Insert Slide Content

Mental Health Continuum

Optimal Mental Health

Poor Mental Health

Diagnosed Mental Illness

No Mental Illness

Optimal mental health with a mental illness

Optimal mental health without a mental illness

Poor mental health with a mental illness

Poor mental health without a mental illness

There is a clear relationship between mental health and student achievement.

Slide Title

Up to 80% of children and youth who experience a mental health problem will not

receive the help they need.

Why do you think that is?

Barriers to Accessing Service

• Stigma associated with mental health problem

• Misidentification of symptoms

• Adult lack of knowledge regarding where to seek help

• Lack of sufficient services to meet demand.

Schools Have a Unique Opportunity

Schools are an optimal setting in which to:• Reduce stigma• Promote mental well-being

• Build student social-emotional learning skills

• Prevent mental health problems in high risk groups

• Identify students in need• Build pathways to care

Stigma Defined

What is “stigma?”

Negative, disrespectful and untrue judgments about

you based on what people think they know about

you – and your situation

Often people living with mental illness describe the

stigma as worse than the illness itself

Contact-based Education

What does the research tell us about contact-based education?

IT WORKS!!

Durham TAMI Coalition

Durham TAMI Partners

• Speaker Group (individuals with lived experience)• Canadian Mental Health Association – Durham• Catholic Family Services• CHIMO Child and Family Services • Distress Centre Durham • Durham Catholic District School Board• Durham Children’s Aid Society• Durham District School Board• Durham Mental Health Services• Frontenac Youth Services • Kawartha Pineridge District School Board• Kinark Child and Family Services• Lakeridge Health - Child, Youth & Family Program• Pinewood Centre• Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences• Peterborough, Victoria, Northumberland, Clarington Catholic DSB• Resources for Exceptional Children & Youth• The Youth Centre

Goals of TAMI

The DCDSB Together for Mental Health (Mental Health and Addictions Strategic Plan) identifies the reduction / elimination of stigma as a priority in order for all staff and students to feel they belong to an inclusive and caring community.

1. To reduce the stigma associated with mental illness 2. To increase knowledge of mental health and mental illness3. To encourage youth to initiate change in their lives and in their school community. 4. To increase youth’s knowledge of community resources- where to get support.

Our TAMI program helps build acceptance, awareness and hope in our community.

TAMI Summit Model

• Wallach (2004) – “Even a brief visit to a mental health facility can improve attitudes beyond classroom education.”

• Students hear the stories of consumers, participate in experiential exercises AND are provided with Action Guides and Tool Kits to assist them in organizing anti-stigma campaigns in their home schools

• Research substantiates that the SOS Summit is an effective and reliable model for increasing knoweldgeabout mental illness and reducing negative stigma

TAMI Classroom Model

Intermediate (grade 7 & 8) and Secondary classrooms:

• 5 modules / lessons over one week (or more)• Introduction provided by TAMI facilitator• Speakers with lived experience come in (with a TAMI

facilitator) on fourth day• Debrief and share help-seeking resources on day 5 • Pre-post tests

As a result of TAMI programs……knowledge about mental illness increased

Time by gender by program type ANOVA

Males

Females

In Class

Pre Post1.6

1.8

2.0

2.2

2.4

2.6

2.8

3.0

3.2

3.4

3.6

3.8

4.0

Know

ledge S

core

s

Summit

Pre Post

Control

Pre Post

Assembly

Pre Post

In Class -Pilot

Pre Post

32%

no change

16%

25%

38%

“It made me want to go back to school and help people and get my school involved.”

……..and negative stigma went down

“What I liked the most about the program is the fact that someone I know has a mental illness that I see everyday, but am not always

Comfortable around her. Now I’m always with her!” Male Student

Time by gender by program type ANOVA

Males

Females

In Class

Pre Post1.3

1.4

1.5

1.6

1.7

1.8

1.9

2.0

2.1

2.2

2.3

2.4

2.5

Stig

ma

tizin

g A

ttitud

e S

core

s

Summit

Pre Post

Control

Pre Post

Assembly

Pre Post

In-class pilot

Pre Post

4%7%12%

1%4%

Key “Ingredients”

1. Committed group of service providers

2. Committed group of speakers (contact-based education)

3. Commitment from senior team of agencies/school boards to support individuals in their work.

4. Ongoing training and support for speakers

Ever Had an Earache?

Earache / Psych-ache Exercise

• This brief exercise stresses the impact that

stigma has on help seeking behaviour

• Students relate their experiences with having

earaches and the rapid response they seek

and then contrast those experiences with how

long they would wait to seek help for a

“psyche-ache” (depression)

Porcupine Map

A tool for teaching about stigmatizing language and it’s impact

Porcupine Map

MI

Crazy

Nuts ScaryDangerous

Crazy

Nuts Scary

LonelyAngry Frustrated

Dangerous

ME

Role of Media

What is the potential of someone with a mental illness?

Drew Barrymore

Actress, DirectorLives with Depression and has had public

struggles with substance use since early teens.

Guess who?

Demi LovatoJim Carrey

Guess who?

Clara HughesEllen DeGeneres

What do all these people have in common?

order

Depression and Anxiety

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Schizophrenia

All are living

with a

MENTAL

ILLNESS!

In fact, a LOT of people have a mental illness

Anti-Stigma Posters

LABELS ARE FOR:

Not for PEOPLE!!

Experiencing EmpathyInteractive Learning

Experiencing EmpathyDebriefing Tips

• Emphasize the experience of feeling misunderstood

• Empathy for an individual who may be experiencing symptoms they do not understand

• Empathy for a peer who may feel disengaged or not included

Our Speakers: With us every step of the way……

• 2009: Attorney General’s Victim Services Award of Distinction

• 2009: CMHA Consumer Award

• 2009: Mary Neville Memorial Award

• 2010: Kaiser Foundation Award for Excellence in Youth Leadership

• 2012: National Top 20 under 20 Nomination

• 2012: CAMH Transforming Lives Nomination

• As of June 2016, Durham TAMI has provided contact-based mental health education to 58,027 students, teachers and other professionals in Durham & beyond.

• The majority of participants report that what they liked the most about the TAMI program was the speaker’s stories an interacting with people who are living with a mental illness.

Taking Action: One School At a Time St. Leo Catholic School

Intermediate Students researched and created their own “Famous People” posters

Taking Action: One School At a Time All Saints Catholic Secondary School

Action Menu: Poster campaign reaching all departments

Stigma wall

Library display

Bulletin board year round

Wall of fame: Famous People Posters

Announcements during MH Awareness week

Youtube contest

Assemblies

Parent Community Night

Recruiting new members

https://youtu.be/zZGPnSWF-hU

All Saints CSS “Stomping out Stigma”

Useful Resources Mental Health Toolkit

DCDSB Student Mental Health Group Handbook

Yellowknife

• Fall of 2011: members of TAMI

Durham delivered a day long

workshop to decision makers in

Yellowknife, NWT

• Feb 2012: returned to Yellowknife

to implement a pilot program for all

grade 8 students in Yellowknife,

with the goal of implementing

across NWT

• Since then, Yellowknife have

formed their own TAMI Coalition,

with support of Durham TAMI, and

have trained their own speakers

Be Well Campaign

Presenter Contact Information

Anne O’Brien, Director of Education Durham Catholic District School Board

Anne.OBrien@dcdsb.ca

Diane Mullane. Mental Health LeaderDurham Catholic District School Board

Diane.mullane@dcdsb.ca

Thank-you!!