Our Vision
Mental health is part of overall health. Just like it’s important to be informed about your health, it’s equally important to be informed about your mental health. We aim to take the best available scientific evidence in mental health and make it easy to understand and accessible for everyone.
Our team is committed to creating and delivering the highest quality mental health literacy information, research, education and resources. Our materials are provided in a variety of mediums that include videos, animations, brochures, e-books, face-to-face training programs, and online training programs. Our materials are specifically designed to meet the needs of children, youth, young adults, families, educators, community agencies and health care providers.
And, we can’t do it without you! We continually collaborate with policy makers, educators, health care providers, community agencies and the general public.
Our Process
We use an environmental scan ‘push’ model in which we compile extensive input from experts, individuals and communities to identify specific needs for our materials. We also use a ‘pull’ process in which organizations and institutions (ex. government, educators, health providers, etc.) can come to us and make specific requests for materials to meet their needs.
Our Materials Meet the Following Criteria
- Based on best available scientific information: Pivotal to our work is the science behind it. We use numerous strategies (ex. systematic literature reviews, input from experts, program evaluation protocols, etc.) to ensure that our materials and training programs are based on the best available scientific information.
- Consumer participation: Our products and training programs are developed with extensive input from key informants. This means, for example, if we design materials for educators, we get input and feedback from… you guessed it: educators. When creating our materials, we seek input from a wide audience: youth, caregivers, educators, mental health providers, health care providers, community agencies and policy makers. We acknowledge participants who have made substantial contributions by noting them in our materials.
- Feedback and continuous improvement: We welcome feedback on all of our materials. We collect and periodically review this input and use it to modify and improve our trainings and resources. Some of our products also undergo more detailed qualitative and quantitative evaluation by our researchers. We openly share the results of such evaluations.
Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
At menthealthliteracy.org we are committed to creating inclusive mental health resources, which reflect the many diverse experiences that exist within our communities.
Research shows systemic factors and inequalities can impact health and mental health outcomes. As part of our goal to contribute to a more equitable and mentally healthy society, we will continually strive to make our mental health resources, trainings and information increasingly representative of, and accessible to, a wide variety of audiences.
