Title: Define mental health and wellness.
Course: Family Relations (19259-18) > Section: Nurturing Safety and Well-being

Definition should include

- mental health and wellness as a state of wellbeing that allows people to cope with life stressors, realize their potential, and contribute to the community
- the role of biological, psychological, and social factors in shaping mental health and wellness
- challenges to mental health and wellness, such as a diagnosed mental illness, adverse childhood experiences, and poverty.

Process/Skill Questions:

Thinking

- What is the difference between asking, “What happened to you?” and “What is wrong with you?”
- What is included in the topic of mental health?
- What stigmas are associated with mental health?
- How can mental illness impact relationships?

Communication

- How can you communicate the importance of healthy mental well-being?
- How can you lead a family discussion on mental health and wellness?

Leadership

- What mental health resources are available?
- How can the stigmas associated with mental illness be broken down?
- How can stress affect mental health?
- What are the possible consequences of unresolved stress? Unresolved trauma?

Management

- What ethical issues arise in the area of mental health?
- Why is confidentiality important regarding mental health?
- What are some causes of mental illness?

Teacher Resources:

- Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)
- The Trauma Informed Care Project, Orchard Place/Child Guidance Center
- Toxic Stress, Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University.
- Trauma Center, Justice Resource Institute
- "What is Trauma-Informed?" ChildSavers