Teaching about resilience, mental health, and hauora

There are currently very few resources available in New Zealand for teaching mental health education (within the Health and Physical Education learning area). Outside providers are, however, offering different programmes for sale to schools (in areas such as positive psychology, mindfulness, and growth mindset). These tend to be individualistic, not to mention expensive. NZCER Press has, however, just published a new comprehensive teaching resource to help teachers of Years 7–11 to structure programmes around identity, wellbeing, interpersonal skills, hauora and health promotion. This resource is ideal to help you design and teach mental health education in your school. This article outlines the thinking behind the resource and why it’s important to learn about both the individual and the social aspects of mental health.