Towards dynamic and\ud interdisciplinary frameworks\ud for school-based mental\ud health promotion

摘要

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to scrutinise two ostensibly disparate approaches to school-based\udmental health promotion and offer a conceptual foundation for considering possible synergies between them.\udDesign/methodology/approach – The paper examines current conceptualisations of child and youth\udmental health and explores how these inform school-based prevention and intervention approaches.\udThe dominance of discrete, “expert-driven” psychosocial programmes as well as the potential of critical\udpedagogy is explored using frameworks provided by contemporary dynamic systems theories.\udThese theories call for a situated and holistic understanding of children’s development; and they look\udbeyond static characteristics within individuals, to view well-being in relation to the dynamic social and\udhistorical contexts in which children develop.\udFindings – Psychosocial interventions and critical pedagogies have strengths but also a number of\udlimitations. Traditional psychosocial interventions teach important skill sets, but they take little account of\udchildren’s dynamic socio-cultural contexts, nor acknowledge the broader inequalities that are frequently a\udroot cause of children’s distress. Critical pedagogies, in turn, are committed to social justice goals, but these\udgoals can be elusive or seem unworkable in practice. By bringing these seemingly disparate approaches into\udconversation, it may be possible to harness their respective strengths, in ways that are faithful to the complex,\udemergent nature of children’s development, as well as committed to correcting inequalities.\udOriginality/value – The current paper is unique in bringing together contemporary psychological theory\udwith critical pedagogy perspectives to explore the future of school-based mental health promotion.