Offering authoritative advice on effective intervention, this book provides an overview of the key issues that need to be addresses.

This book presents general guidelines for integrating mind-body practices in schools, as well as a more detailed recommendations for implementing specific interventions using a three-tiered service delivery model.

This work is a critical reflection on the state of health promotion effectiveness in practice around the world. It examines the meaning of health promotion from regional perspectives, and explores regional strengths and weaknesses in demonstrating effectiveness. The book goes on to consider issues in public health such as tobacco, mental health, obesity, urbanization, war, and social determinants in order to assess the role of effectiveness, and to examine methodologies for demonstrating effectiveness. Finally, the book looks at questions over the effectiveness of health promotion – the debate about the relationship between evidence, impact, and outcomes.

The narratives of the children and young people, school teachers and school leaders, parents and carers, policy makers and service managers, and mental health workers and professionals, presented in this book, should provide an invaluable resource for all those involved in mental health promotion in school. The insights drawn from these direct field experiences may help to inform policy and good practice and serve as an inspiration to schools in their efforts to introduce and promote mental health for their communities. Most of the chapters present original research carried out in schools, services, universities and other contexts across different cultures. Through various qualitative studies carried out in different cultural contexts, Mental Health Promotion in Schools provides a platform for children, teachers, school leaders, parents, professionals, policy makers and teacher educators, to express their views on what works and does not work in mental health promotion in school. In our continued quest for evidence based research, we may tend to underestimate the value and significance of capturing the views and experiences of those most directly involved in mental health promotion, such as children and young people, school teachers and parents/carers, in seeking to enhance policy and practice in the area. This book should be of particular interest to those involved in mental health promotion in school at practice, training and research levels and we are sure that among these chapters, they will discover many new and stimulating insights into the promotion of mental health in such complex systems as schools. “This is a timely book since mental health difficulties among children and young people are on the increase across the world. The editors, Carmel Cefai and Paul Cooper, are passionate about the crucial role to be played by schools in creating safe spaces in which to learn, develop and socialise. They have spent many years in the development of creative initiatives for the promotion of emotional health and well-being amongst young people. The editors bring an international perspective to the issue of mental health and youth and show how important it is to collaborate and share expertise and knowledge. Cefai and Cooper have assembled an impressive range of authors to share their knowledge and to show how initiatives can be adapted to a range of cultural contexts.” – Helen Cowie, Professor, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, UK

Developing a ‘healthy school’ has been a key aim for many schools across the globe, yet achieving successful implementation and sustaining the positive benefits has proven to be challenging. In this much-needed text, the contributors draw upon their wide range of international expertise and experience to demonstrate how guidelines can best be implemented by building upon scientific knowledge of ‘implementation theory’, as well as empirically-based practice from health-promoting school initiatives. The Implementation of Health Promoting Schools articulates an evidence base for implementation that is centred on eight theorised implementation components, each of which is designed to help practitioners to utilise theory-based guidelines within the school as an organisational setting. This approach differs from more traditional implementation guidelines for pre-packaged programs, which are often only focused on providing guidance to an individual teacher in a classroom. Needs for further research to confirm and add to the identified components are also addressed. With contributions from leading experts around the world, this book is structured around three main sections: Part One: addresses the theory base for implementation of health promoting schools Part Two: provides examples through case studies Part Three: identifies directions for future developments. Authoritative, research-based and supported by examples from concrete practices in schools and governmental bodies at local and national level, this text provides guidance that is vital for future advancement of the field, and is essential reading for teachers, educational professionals and policy makers. It will also appeal to researchers, academics and undergraduate and postgraduate students studying whole school health practice and research.