This comprehensive guide provides practical strategies and essential insights for anyone working with young adults, revealing the importance of nurturing mental health and wellbeing needs of students in the post-16 education sector. An invaluable resource for understanding and addressing the unique challenges faced by learners, many of whom will be transitioning into adulthood, this book covers key areas such as stress management, building resilience, and fostering positive self-esteem, and equips readers with the knowledge and practical strategies needed to support the mental health and overall wellbeing of post-16 learners. It offers detailed real-life case studies, practical advice and the latest research to support academic and student-services staff to effectively engage with students. It also addresses issues such as anxiety, depression, exam stress and peer pressure and provides evidence-based strategies that can be implemented in both the classroom and one-to-one settings. This text supports the reader in understanding what can be done to support learners’ mental health and wellbeing both across the college and in individual classrooms. With its accessible language and actionable advice, this book is an essential toolkit for all those concerned with the wellbeing needs of students.

Student wellbeing is foundational to academic success. One recent survey of postsecondary educators found that nearly 80 percent believed emotional wellbeing is a "very" or "extremely" important factor in student success. Studies have found the dropout rates for students with a diagnosed mental health problem range from 43 percent to as high as 86 percent. While dealing with stress is a normal part of life, for some students, stress can adversely affect their physical, emotional, and psychological health, particularly given that adolescence and early adulthood are when most mental illnesses are first manifested. In addition to students who may develop mental health challenges during their time in postsecondary education, many students arrive on campus with a mental health problem or having experienced significant trauma in their lives, which can also negatively affect physical, emotional, and psychological wellbeing. The nation's institutions of higher education are seeing increasing levels of mental illness, substance use and other forms of emotional distress among their students. Some of the problematic trends have been ongoing for decades. Some have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic consequences. Some are the result of long-festering systemic racism in almost every sphere of American life that are becoming more widely acknowledged throughout society and must, at last, be addressed. Mental Health, Substance Use, and Wellbeing in Higher Education lays out a variety of possible strategies and approaches to meet increasing demand for mental health and substance use services, based on the available evidence on the nature of the issues and what works in various situations. The recommendations of this report will support the delivery of mental health and wellness services by the nation's institutions of higher education.

This comprehensive guide provides practical strategies and essential insights for anyone working with young adults, revealing the importance of nurturing mental health and wellbeing needs of students in the post-16 education sector. An invaluable resource for understanding and addressing the unique challenges faced by learners, many of whom will be transitioning into adulthood, this book covers key areas such as stress management, building resilience, and fostering positive self-esteem, and equips readers with the knowledge and practical strategies needed to support the mental health and overall wellbeing of post-16 learners. It offers detailed real-life case studies, practical advice and the latest research to support academic and student-services staff to effectively engage with students. It also addresses issues such as anxiety, depression, exam stress and peer pressure and provides evidence-based strategies that can be implemented in both the classroom and one-to-one settings. This text supports the reader in understanding what can be done to support learners' mental health and wellbeing both across the college and in individual classrooms. With its accessible language and actionable advice, this book is an essential toolkit for all those concerned with the wellbeing needs of students.

"Provides a significant overview of the matter of mental health and wellbeing with particular reference to educational contexts ... Presents an authoritiative and diverse account of: links between wellbeing and learning; interventions and initiatives in the field; evidence based practice guidelines; policy and practice examples." -- Back cover.

Mental Health and Academic Learning in Schools: Approaches for Facilitating the Wellbeing of Children and Young People investigates the many areas impacting on young people’s learning and mental health in a unified manner. Offering a new model for teaching, learning and connecting with young people, it provides compelling evidence about the intertwined nature of students’ academic performance, mental health and behaviour. The book presents integrated models and strategies that serve to enhance student learning and promote wellbeing. Chapters explore issues relating to classroom management, school culture and leadership, staff wellbeing, pedagogy, inclusion and the curriculum. Placing students at the centre of decision making, the book showcases innovative models and strategies that schools might use for preventing problems, engaging students and identifying and addressing learning or mental health problems that some students might experience. This book will appeal to academics, researchers and post-graduate students in the fields of mental health and education, and will also be of interest to school counsellors, educational psychologists and those working with young people in schools.

Healthy mental, emotional, and behavioral (MEB) development is a critical foundation for a productive adulthood. Much is known about strategies to support families and communities in strengthening the MEB development of children and youth, by promoting healthy development and also by preventing and mitigating disorder, so that young people reach adulthood ready to thrive and contribute to society. Over the last decade, a growing body of research has significantly strengthened understanding of healthy MEB development and the factors that influence it, as well as how it can be fostered. Yet, the United States has not taken full advantage of this growing knowledge base. Ten years later, the nation still is not effectively mitigating risks for poor MEB health outcomes; these risks remain prevalent, and available data show no significant reductions in their prevalence. Fostering Healthy Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Development in Children and Youth: A National Agenda examines the gap between current research and achievable national goals for the next ten years. This report identifies the complexities of childhood influences and highlights the need for a tailored approach when implementing new policies and practices. This report provides a framework for a cohesive, multidisciplinary national approach to improving MEB health.

Adolescenceâ€"beginning with the onset of puberty and ending in the mid-20sâ€"is a critical period of development during which key areas of the brain mature and develop. These changes in brain structure, function, and connectivity mark adolescence as a period of opportunity to discover new vistas, to form relationships with peers and adults, and to explore one's developing identity. It is also a period of resilience that can ameliorate childhood setbacks and set the stage for a thriving trajectory over the life course. Because adolescents comprise nearly one-fourth of the entire U.S. population, the nation needs policies and practices that will better leverage these developmental opportunities to harness the promise of adolescenceâ€"rather than focusing myopically on containing its risks. This report examines the neurobiological and socio-behavioral science of adolescent development and outlines how this knowledge can be applied, both to promote adolescent well-being, resilience, and development, and to rectify structural barriers and inequalities in opportunity, enabling all adolescents to flourish.