This report, published in April 2013 by the Social Research and Demonstration Corporation (SRDC), provides an overview of school-based mental health promotion and prevention in Canada. Aimed towards informing interventions that support students’ mental health in the transition from high school, this report examines a few conceptual models for the promotion of positive student mental health, to identify important components for such interventions. Models discussed include: (1) the mental health spectrum model, (2) the inter-connected systems model, (3) the positive behavior support model, (4) the social-emotional learning model, (5) public/population health models and, finally (6) the comprehensive school health model. The authors conclude that the social-emotional learning model and public/population health models provide the most guidance in promoting positive student metal health through this transition, and identify a few school-based mental health programs in Canada that are currently being implemented for this purpose.

This report is a good read for a basic understanding of how student mental health is defined, operationalized and addressed in Canada, and for related concepts in the promotion of positive student mental health in schools.