Authorship and acknowledgements

Best practice guidelines for mental health promotion programs: Children & Youth

This is a joint project between the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health; the Centre for Health Promotion, University of Toronto; and Toronto Public Health.

Authors

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

• Jennifer Boyko, Health Promotion Consultant
• Lori Hale, Associate Director, Education and Health Promotion
• Marianne Kobus-Matthews, Senior Health Promotion Consultant
• Andrea Stevens Lavigne, Director, Health Promotion and Knowledge Exchange Program Development

Centre for Health Promotion

• Dr. Suzanne Jackson, Director
• Paola Ardiles, MHSc (candidate)

Toronto Public Health

• Angela Loconte, Consultant Health Promotion

Acknowledgements

This resource has been prepared by Paola Ardiles under the direction of a work group comprised of staff from Toronto Public Health (TPH); policy, Education and Health Promotion, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH); and the University of Toronto’s Centre for Health Promotion. The group worked from an earlier draft document entitled “A Checklist: Guiding Principles of Best Practices in Mental Health Promotion Across the Lifespan,” which was developed by Maria Au-Yee Choi, MHSc (candidate), of the Centre for Health Promotion. This earlier document was based on the findings of the research report Analysis of Best Practices in Mental Health Promotion Across the Lifespan, undertaken by Catherine Willinsky and Anne Anderson for CAMH and TPH in 2003.

Best practice guidelines for mental health promotion programs: Children and Youth

• Guideline 1: Address and modify risk and protective factors that indicate possible mental health concerns
• Guideline 2: Intervene in multiple settings, with a focus on schools
• Guideline 3: Focus on skill building, empowerment, self-efficacy and individual resilience, and respect
• Guideline 4: Train non-professionals to establish caring and trusting relationships
• Guideline 5: Involve multiple stakeholders
• Guideline 6: provide comprehensive support systems that focus on peer and parent-child relations, and academic performance
• Guideline 7: Adopt multiple interventions
• Guideline 8: Address opportunities for organizational change, policy development and advocacy
• Guideline 9: Demonstrate a long-term commitment to program planing, development and evaluation
• Guideline 10: Ensure that information and services provided are culturally appropriate, equitable and holistic
• Theory, definitions and context for mental health promotion
• Resources: Glossary
• References
• Authorship and acknowledgementsAuthorship and acknowledgements

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