Canadian Children's Mental Health: Building Capacity in School-Based Intervention

Given the increasing identification of children with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD), it is imperative that innovative ways of addressing these concerns are explored. Fewer than half of students identified with mental illness receive treatment, leaving a significant proportion of students to cope with mental illness without support. One option for increasing children's access to mental health service looks at incorporating treatment programs into educational systems, thereby allowing more children to access a greater variety of service. However, it is necessary to ensure that school-based personnel have the required training and understanding of mental health issues so that children may be appropriately supported. As such, providing university-level training programs for teachers and school staff to better understand and identify mental health issues may be a key factor in supporting children with EBD.