Abstract
Given the prevalence and seriousness of children’s mental health disorders, teachers have expanded their role to include identifying students with mental health needs and delivering mental health interventions in the classroom. However, teachers receive little, if any, mental health training. The purpose of this study was to examine teachers’ perspectives regarding the content and implementation of the educator mental health competency framework proposed by Weston, Anderson-Butcher, and Burke (2008). The participants in the case study included 10 general education teachers from three public elementary schools in Southwest Florida. The data were collected through an online questionnaire, focus group interviews, and an individual interview. This study examined the following questions: (1) how the competencies could guide and inform their practice; (2) how the teachers would react if the competencies were adopted; and (3) what suggestions they had for improving the competencies. The data were analyzed using a reiterative process of reading, coding, and reflecting upon emerging themes. The analysis of teachers’ responses indicated the participating teachers needed more knowledge on mental health and larger systems of support to increase their classroom effectiveness. The participants also called attention to the inclusion of personal well-being as one of the competencies. Overall, the teachers supported the adoption of the competencies but had reservations regarding the necessary training and implementation process. Although the participants did not feel knowledgeable enough to provide direct suggestions on revisions to the competencies, they did offer suggestions indirectly. The findings of this study support the use of the mental health curriculum framework in the development of teacher mental health training. By doing so, teachers would be better prepared to address their students’ mental health needs. Several implications for practice are proposed including the addition of mental health curriculum in teacher preparation programs and the necessity for school administrators to create a school culture and infrastructure to effectively support school mental health.
