Why this is important

• Identity and mental health are inextricably linked. Who you are affects how you feel. When your identity is affirmed, reflected, and celebrated, you’re more likely to feel a strong sense of positive mental health, well-being, and connection. If your identity is ignored, excluded, or misunderstood, or if you experience racism or oppression, you can suffer emotionally and must work much harder than others to gain a sense of well-being.
• Mental health is often viewed through the lens of white, Eurocentric culture, and interventions tend to be rooted in Western practice and study. Many of these approaches emphasize individual change and skill development. While this can be helpful, a more identity-affirming approach to school mental health also considers the role of the wider school/community environment in effecting lasting positive change. This involves optimizing community and collective strengths and supports and addressing structures that affect the mental health of individuals and groups who are racialized and marginalized.
• When school administrators reflect deeply on their own personal values, beliefs, and biases, and engage staff to do so, they are setting the stage for schools to move toward providing mental health support that is identity-affirming and culturally responsive to every student.
• When schools and boards dismantle and remove racism and oppression; engage and partner with students, parents/caregivers, and community; amplify diverse student, parent/caregiver, and community perspectives; and respond with differentiated and identity-affirming supports and practices, they are working toward supporting every student.

The relationship between identity and mental health 

School context matters in how students come to see and understand their identity and how they experience ways that others view their identity. Each day, schools have the opportunity to be intentional places that nurture the whole child – where diversity is valued and meaningfully woven into the culture, adults are a source of positive and caring regard for every student, curriculum is culturally relevant and inclusive, and practices, policies, procedures, and structures amplify (rather than diminish) cultural ways of knowing and being.  

• Identity refers to the various aspects of a person’s sense of self, as they define it. These aspects can include but are not limited to race, gender, sexuality, culture, religion, faith, health/mental health, and socioeconomic status. Internal and external factors – including personal experiences, societal norms, and cultural expectations – shape identity. Identity, and the parts of ourselves that we emphasize, can change over time. It is also complex because our personally defined identity sometimes conflicts with how others see us.
• Oppression refers to the systemic mistreatment of and discrimination against certain groups based on aspects of their identity. Privilege refers to the advantages and benefits that certain groups receive because of their identity.
• Individuals can experience oppression and privilege based on different aspects of their identity. For example, one person might experience privileges due to their social location and power in a school administrator position and experience oppression related to their race, gender, or sexual orientation. Intersectionality highlights the complex ways these experiences can intersect with and affect one another.
• recognizes that individuals are not defined by one singular aspect of their identity but rather by the complex ways in which the aspects of their identity (e.g., race and gender) intersect and interact with one another. This concept is fundamental in understanding how different forms of oppression, such as racism, sexism, and homophobia, can compound discrimination and marginalization for individuals and groups.

Race, culture and student mental health

One of the most complex and critical considerations is the intersection of race, culture, and student mental health. To facilitate the introduction and use of quality, differentiated, and identity-affirming mental health supports, school administrators need an understanding of both mental health and how it is affected by race and culture, as well as the unique mental health needs of Black, Indigenous, and racialized students.

• Race is a social construct that has real-world impact. The racial group one associates with often forms a very central part of one’s identity.
• Dubious history and science has been used to justify harmful policies and negative stereotypes, which has left a legacy in the education system, and therefore, race cannot be ignored in school considerations of student mental health.
• Culture is open to multiple interpretations; it generally refers to a set of values, beliefs, and behavioural expectations shared by people within a geographical origin. Cultural groups typically share language, religion, cuisine, and arts (among other things).
• Cultural teachings are passed from generation to generation and reinforce group norms – what to eat, how to dress, etc. More importantly, cultural teachings tell one how to act typically, thus also defining atypical behaviour.
• In Ontario, students represent many cultures, both Indigenous and settler. It is overly simplistic to suggest that all children and youth from the same geographic or cultural origins share the same cultural influence.
• All societal institutions, including schools, are shaped by and reflect the dominance of white, Eurocentric culture. Mental health in education is consequently viewed through the lens of white, Eurocentric culture.
• The Eurocentric perspective affects how mental health and illnesses are defined, what are considered appropriate or acceptable ways of coping, and how to address/treat mental health problems effectively. This dominant and biased view ignores how other cultures describe, cope with, and treat/address mental health and illness (Fuentes et al., 2019).

Marginalization and student mental health

There is evidence that individuals with marginalized identities face disparities and disproportionalities in both the likelihood of experiencing a mental health concern and in accessing treatment.    

• Racial or race-based trauma is a mental and emotional effect that stems from encountering racial prejudice, discrimination, racism, and hate crimes.
• The experience of racial discrimination can lead individuals to cope and adapt in various ways, including hypervigilance, avoidance, and numbing.
• Studies that follow children and youth over time have shown that experiencing racial discrimination is associated with later mental health and behavioural problems.
• Male Black youth who were exposed to increasing racial discrimination in early adulthood faced a significant aggravation of symptoms of depression and anxiety into their 30s. Racial discrimination is significantly associated with depression and anxiety among Black adolescents. Perceived racial discrimination is also associated with elevated suicidal ideation, suicide planning, and attempted suicide among racial-minority American adolescents. Canadian Black youth identify racial discrimination as a key contributor to mental health challenges. For Canadian-born Black adolescents and Black immigrants, reported racism has increased from 2003 to 2018, especially among girls; those who reported racial discrimination were significantly more likely to also report extreme stress, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts.
• 2S/LGBTQIA+ students face unique mental health challenges related to homophobia, transphobia, and discrimination. Higher rates of suicidal behaviour are experienced by 2S/LGBTQIA+ young people, and particularly those who identify as transgender or gender diverse, especially when they experience a lack of family acceptance.
• Newcomer students experience a number of barriers on a structural, provider, and individual level. On a structural level, students enrolling in a new school may find the environment complex and difficult to navigate, especially if newcomer students are not aware of the available mental health supports or how to access them within schools. On a provider level, there is a lack of diversity and lived experience among school staff, in addition to gaps in cultural competency to effectively support newcomer students. Lastly, on an individual level, there may be language barriers, which can hinder effective communication between newcomer students and school staff.
• In Ontario, francophone children and youth encounter persistent and compounding obstacles in accessing linguistically appropriate mental health services in both urban and rural communities.
• Racism and discrimination that intersects with barriers like poverty (including food and housing insecurities), access to care (particularly language barriers and transportation), and poor family and social supports contribute to mental health challenges.  

To create a supportive school environment, school administrators and staff must acknowledge systematic inequities in society and need to be aware of the impact of oppression and racism on the mental health of students, colleagues, parents/caregivers, community members, and themselves.

Special education and student mental health

When developing and delivering student mental health supports and services, consideration should be made to ensure that lessons and activities are inclusive of every student, including those with special education needs. The presentation of mental health symptoms can fluctuate over time in children and youth, and an underlying neurodevelopmental disorder or a physical or learning disability can further complicate the presentation of symptoms. Students with special education needs may encounter obstacles in accessing mental health support, as their mental health needs might go unrecognized or be overshadowed by the primary emphasis on developing and implementing an individualized learning program to address their specific educational requirements.

• Students with special education needs are at a higher risk of mental health challenges than their peers without disabilities.
• Students with special education needs may require tailored mental health supports that are responsive to their unique needs and challenges.
• The intersection between learning needs, neurodevelopmental disorders, and mental health needs can be extremely complex, and at times mental health problems can be masked behind more prominent learning, behavioural, or developmental challenges, and vice versa.
• Providing mental health supports and interventions that are inclusive and responsive to students with special education needs can promote their overall well-being and success in school.
• Addressing mental health challenges and promoting positive mental health can have a significant impact on the academic success of students with special education needs.

Feeling safe, supported, and included is essential for everyone’s mental health. Students requiring special education supports and services may need environmental accommodations and personal supports to achieve the same feelings of safety, support, and inclusion as their peers. When a student is excluded, targeted, or bullied, it can harm their mental health. According to the Canadian Survey on Disability (2017), 42% of Canadian youth with disabilities have experienced bullying at school related to their disabilities.

School staff are familiar with efforts to nurture a culture of understanding, acceptance, inclusion, and kindness. Your school-wide efforts to celebrate differences through lessons and activities go a long way to supporting the mental health of students with special education needs.

Identity-Affirming School Mental Health Frame

Identity-affirming approaches to school mental health are responsive to individual student needs and affirm intersecting and developing identities. This approach contributes to and benefits from the wider efforts in school boards and schools to address oppression and marginalization, and to work toward Truth and Reconciliation, equity, and justice, especially for those historically and presently oppressed. It requires time, reflection and planful action for school administrators to move from current practices to an embedded and integrated approach to identity-affirming school mental health.  

The goal of the Identity-Affirming School Mental Health Frame is to guide boards and schools as they thoughtfully reflect and plan resources and supports for their respective communities that meet the unique needs of every student.

Considerations and approaches for identity-affirming schools

Resources to support identity-affirming school mental health