Strengthening mental

wellbeing in school communities

The Mental Health Foundation: • The Mental Health Foundation is

working to create a society free from discrimination, where all people enjoy positive mental health and wellbeing.

• We work to influence individuals, whanau, organisations and communities to improve and sustain their mental health and reach their full potential.

Mauri refers to the life force or latent energy found in all things.

Mauri tū refers to stability and a sense of space for this energy, and in this context covers both communities and individuals.

Mauri ora refers to the unleashing of this energy to actively support and create wellbeing.

Mauri tū, mauri ora

Mental Health Promotion

The process of enhancing the capacity of individuals and communities to take control over their lives and improve their mental health.

Mental Health Promotion

• Mental health promotion uses strategies that foster supportive environments and individual resilience,

• Mental health promotion shows respect for culture, equity, social justice and personal dignity. (Jobert and Raeburn, 1998)

Perth Mental Health Charter

The Perth Charter places needed emphasis on the role of health promotion for mental health, taking a step towards the integration of physical and mental health promotion.

(http://www.rsph.org.uk)

What is mental health?

Mental health & mental illness:

• Mental health is often seen as something negative, something to be avoided

• It is often assumed that if you aren’t diagnosed with a mental illness then you must be “mentally healthy”

Discourse: Mental health & physical health

(Mahony et al., 2011 p. 52)

Physical Mental

Health Eating fruit and

vegetables

Taking regular exercise

Strength and flexibility

????

Illness Cancer

Obesity

Heart disease

Depression

Anxiety

Psychosis

Mental health • “The capacity of each and all of us to

feel, think and act in ways that enhance our ability to enjoy life and deal with the challenges we face…”

• “…It is a positive sense of emotional and spiritual well-being...”

(Centre for Health Promotion and Health Promotion Unit,

Toronto, 1996)

Shift in thinking…. (adapted from Keyes)

Features of flourishing (Huppert & So, 2009)

Core features

Additional features

Positive emotions Self esteem

Engagement, interest Optimism

Meaning and purpose Resilience

Vitality

Self-determination

Positive relationships

HEI PUĀWAITANGA MŌ TĀTOU KATOA – Flourishing for All

The MHF is developing an understanding of flourishing (or

wellbeing) from a Maori perspective (Blissett 2011).

Based on interviews with kaumatua and kuia, a number of

differences have been emphasised.

• the significance of the whenua to flourishing,

• the need for a positive identity and pride in being Maori,

• confidently participating in Te Ao Maori including linking to the

marae and actively participating in the activities of the hou

kainga.

HEI PUĀWAITANGA MŌ TĀTOU KATOA – Flourishing for All

The importance of flourishing as a collective concept:

‘if one of the whanau was not flourishing, then

the whanau as a collective was not whole and

could not see itself as flourishing’.

Compared with the wellbeing outcomes of Whanau

Ora, the outcome of being ‘economically secure and

successfully involved in wealth creation ‘was not

expressed as overly significant’ (Blissett 2011).

Flourishing people live longer, healthier lives, are more at peace with others and are more productive than those who are

not flourishing (UK Treasury)

Research in support of Flourishing

Flourishing individuals have:

• fewer missed days of work

• healthier psychosocial functioning

• lower risk of cardiovascular disease

• lower number of chronic physical diseases

• fewer limitations during daily activities

• lower health care utilisation

Keyes, 2007.

Research in support of Flourishing

Dynamic model of well-being

@nef @nefconsultingnef

Five ways to wellbeing http://www.neweconomics.org/publications/five-ways-well-being-evidence

Give

Your time Your words Your presence

Keep learning

Try something new.

Learn to play an instrument or how to

cook your favourite food.

Set a challenge you will enjoy achieving.

Connect

With the people around you. Think of these as the cornerstones of your life and invest time in developing them.

Building these connections will support and enrich you every day.

Be Active

Go for a walk or run. Cycle. Play a game. Garden. Dance. Exercising makes you feel good. Discover a physical activity you enjoy.

Take notice

Notice the changing seasons.

Savour the moment.

Be aware of the world around you and what you

are feeling.

Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you.

Be curious. Catch sight of

the beautiful. Remark on

the unusual.

Five

Ways to

Wellbeing

in

Schools

(In partnership with Community and Public Health)

Mental Health Awareness Week 6-12 October 2014

Pink Shirt Day

References • Aked, J., Marks, N., Cordon, C., & Thompson, S. (2008). Five ways to

wellbeing. A report presented to the Foresight Project on communicating the evidence base for improving people’s well-being. London: New Economics Foundation.

• Barry M (2009), Addressing the Determinants of Positive Mental Health: Concepts, Evidence and Practice, International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol. 11, 3, 4-17.

• Centre for Health Promotion and Health Promotion Unit, Toronto, 1996

• Keyes C. L. M. Toward a science of mental health. In S. J. Lopez & C. R. Snyder (Eds.). Oxford handbook of positive psychology (pp. 89-95). New York: Oxford University Press.

• Joubert, N. & Raeburn, J. (1998). Mental health promotion: people, power and passion. International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 1, 15-22.

• Huppert, F. A. & So T. (2009), What percentage of people in Europe are flourishing and what characterises them? The Well-being Institute University of Cambridge Measuring subjective well-being: an opportunity for NSO's, Florence, (Briefing Document for ECD/SQOLS meeting).

• Lyubomirsky, S., King, L., & Diener, E. (2005). The benefits of frequent positive affect: Does happiness lead to success? Psychological Bulletin, 131, 803-855.

• Blissett W (2011) HEI PUĀWAITANGA MŌ TĀTOU KATOA – Flourishing for All Mindnet: Mental Health Foundation New Zealand http://www.mentalhealth.org.nz/newsletters/view/article/26/387/2012/

• Mahony, S., Thompson, S. & Seaford, C. (2011??) Understanding the Barriers to Raising Population Wellbeing. Retrieved June 2014 from http://www.sciencewise-erc.org.uk/cms/ways-to-wellbeing/

Mindfulness in Schools

Grant Rix – Project Manager

Mind-Wandering

Foundations of Psychology

“The faculty of voluntarily bringing back a wandering attention over and over again, is the very root of judgment, character, and will… An education which should improve this faculty

would be the education par excellence.”

- William James, Principles

of Psychology, 1890

2 Components of Mindfulness

1. Maintaining purposeful attention on immediate (present moment) experience

2. Being curious, open and accepting of that experience

A jargon free definition…

Knowing what you’re doing, while you’re doing it (and going easy on yourself in the process)

…the practice of giving our full open-hearted attentiveness to what is immediately occurring, physically and mentally,

both within and around us

An International Movement

Benefits for Children (Intl.)

• Increases the ability to transfer previously learned material to new situations,

• Improves focus and attention

• increases creativity and independent thinking,

• improves knowledge retention

• decreases levels of test anxiety

Mental Health Foundation, 2012

Benefits for Children (Intl.)

• Reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression,

• increase calmness,

• improve self-esteem, self-acceptance, self-regulation and sleep quality.

Mental Health Foundation, 2012

Benefits for Children (Local!)

• increased calmness,

• improved focus and attention,

• enhanced self-awareness,

• helped with conflict resolution and the development of positive relationships,

• and reduced stress.

Preliminary Pilot Results, 2013

Programme Structure

LESSON 1: COMING HOME Mind-body balance LESSON 2: HAPPINESS HERE AND NOW Mind-body balance, Two types of happiness LESSON3: EVERYTHING FOR THE FIRST TIME Mind-body balance, Respect (fresh seeing) LESSON 4: ALL THINGS RISING AND FALLING Mind-body balance, Emotion regulation LESSON 5: MOVING STILL Mind-body balance, healthy cognitive functioning LESSON 6: KIND HEART, HAPPY HEART Mind-body balance, Kindness to self, Kindness to others LESSON 7: EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED TO EVERYTHING ELSE Mind-body balance, Interconnectedness LESSON 8: TOUCHING BASE, TOUCHING STILLNESS Mind-body balance, Bringing it all together

8 weeks of…

NZ Curriculum

2014 Research

2 Studies:

1. “The effects of a mindfulness-based intervention programme on the wellbeing of children across a range of New Zealand primary schools” (AUT)

2. “Testing the effect of a mindfulness-based programme on the wellbeing of New Zealand primary school children: An experimental study” (UoA)

A Pause for Thought…

Mindfulness helps us to consider the intent behind our actions

What Next?

Moving towards a whole-school approach:

• Mindfulness for parents

• Professional Development for school staff

• Supporting teachers to become ‘Mindful Leaders’ in their school