Teach Mental Health Literacy
Teaching MHL (Ages 12-19)
Teach Mental health literacy is the foundation for mental health promotion, prevention and care and can be developed through classroom based curriculum implementation that has been scientifically shown to improve mental health related outcomes for students and also for their teachers. A Canadian-developed, nationally and internationally-researched resource, the Mental Health Curriculum Guide (The Guide) – previously available only through face-to-face delivery– is now available online.
In this course, educators will learn how to apply this classroom-ready, web-based, modular mental health curriculum resource as well as develop their own mental health literacy. Educators can then use this resource designed to be delivered to regular classrooms to successfully address mental health-related curriculum outcomes designed to be delivered by classroom teachers to students aged 12 to 19.
Participation in this online course is FREE.
An optional certificate of completion is $50. Please select this option when you register as it cannot be selected once you finish the course.
Register Now!If you would like to batch register a group to work towards certificates of completion, please contact us directly at mhl.educ@ubc.ca
INTRO VIDEO – Learn more about this MOOC!
Now, let’s see if we can answer your questions in the FAQs below!
The program is a non-credit online course offered by the University of British Columbia, delivered on the Catalog Online platform. This is a self-paced course that consists of 6 modules, at 45 minutes per module. Modules are completed sequentially, and each consists of:
- Classroom activities
- Self-guided study
- Module test
This online program is asynchronous (no real-time events are scheduled).
In this course, educators will learn how to apply this classroom ready, web-based, modular mental health curriculum resource (the Guide) as well as upgrade their own mental health literacy. Educators can then use this resource designed to be delivered by regular classroom teachers to successfully address mental health related curriculum outcomes designed to be delivered by usual classroom teachers to students aged 12 to 19.
Caring about and maintaining our mental health is as important as our physical health. We only have one brain and one body and they need to work together well to keep us healthy. So, it’s our job to keep them running as best we can by paying attention to and working to improve both our mental and physical health.
Since 2013 teenmentalhealth.org (now teachmentalhealth.ca) has provided evidence-based training for teachers to apply the Mental Health and High School Curriculum Guide to enhance mental health literacy in the classrooms. Numerous studies conducted nationally and globally have reported this mental health literacy resource has improved outcomes for both teachers and students. It is the only program with solid research evidence developed in Canada and available for Canadian educators.
And now, this training program is available online to any teacher in Canada.
This online course includes classroom-ready modules that support provincial or territorial curriculum frameworks and strategies that can readily be applied in middle school/secondary school classrooms. Upon successful completion of the course, you will receive a certificate of completion issued by the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia.
We invite you to sign up for this course, learn about mental health, and apply what you have learned in your own classroom, confident that what you are providing has solid evidence that it can help the students you teach.
- How to apply a variety of first-voice and knowledge based classroom activities that have been shown to significantly, substantially and sustainably decrease mental health related stigma.
- How to apply a variety of video and knowledge based classroom activities that have been shown to significantly, substantially and sustainably increase knowledge related to mental disorders and treatments
- How to apply a variety of knowledge based classroom activities, personal exercises and other evidence based interventions that have been shown to significantly and substantially improve: health and mental health self-care; stress understanding and management; mental health help-seeking capacity.
- Better understanding of all aspects of mental health literacy that can be applied not only in the classroom but to all aspects of an educator’s own circumstances: understanding how to obtain and maintain good mental health; understanding mental disorders and their treatments; decreasing stigma; increasing help-seeking efficacy.
The curriculum resource (the Guide) was developed for use in middle and secondary schools. It has been used successfully in whole or in part as a resource for students aged 12 to 19 in many different countries. It is designed to be applied as a six-module component delivered over a specific period of time (typically 4-6 weeks).
Schools decide in which classes, how, and by whom the material is best applied. It has been applied with positive impact using a variety of different approaches and in various types of classes (for example: Health; Personal Development: Physical Education; etc.), but it is ultimately up to each school to determine how it can best be used. You can view BC curriculum correlations to the Guide.
The Guide is designed to be flexible in delivery and to be responsive to the needs and realities of the school setting. Because the core of this approach is fidelity of content delivered by teachers trained in the application of the Guide materials, it does not require fidelity of delivery nor does it require specific teacher designations (such as PhysEd or Health) for its delivery – thus its flexibility.
This online resource is free.
The optional Certificate of Completion is CAD $50 + GST.
Please note that all fees are non-refundable. If you have any questions about refunds, please contact us.
Participants may choose to opt into the optional Verified Certificate of Completion for CAD $50 + GST.
Learn more about our Verified Certificates on our Certificates FAQ page!
Our digital Certificates of Completion are issued by the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Education on behalf of MentalHealthLiteracy.
- Digital Certificate – a PDF will be sent to the email address that you registered with, within 2-3 weeks of completing the course.
*The listed wait times are approximate. We appreciate your patience in receiving your completed certificate, as we are processing a high volume of certificates on an ongoing basis.
While this will be unique for each participant, based on the course work the estimated commitment is approximately 6-8 hours in total. This is a self-paced course, with no "real-time" events. Learners progress at their own pace.
Via the registration button, above!
Please make sure to use the same email address to register and make payment for the course.
Once you have registered for the course, you will receive an automated email from noreply@pdce.educ.ubc.ca with instructions to register for an account on Catalog.
Once you have activated your account, you will see Teach Mental Health Literacy listed on your dashboard.
If you do not receive this email, please contact us at mhl.educ@ubc.ca.
How to make a bulk purchase
- Once you receive the link for payment, select the ‘Bulk Enrollment’ button (icon of two people next to the ‘Enroll Now’ button).
- Select the number of enrolments you want to purchase and then click the 'Claim Seats' button.
- On the reservation confirmation page you can change the number of seats reserved or cancel. If you want to proceed, click the 'Claim Seats' button.
- In the checkout window, click the 'Purchase Seats' button.
- View your enrollment confirmation.
- To invite students to enroll in the course using your purchase, click the 'Invite Students to Enroll' button. You can also invite students at another time by clicking the 'Purchase & Enrolment' link.
For more information, visit: Multiple Enrollments in Canvas Catalogue