Question: I am looking for specific curriculum materials vis a vis Mental Health issues to be used in the classroom with teens. What is good mental health? What mental health exercises can a teen practice to ensure better thinking and better feelings? Questionnaires? Classroom climate and impact upon learning, and behavioral control? etc.

Response: There are a number of evidence based programs with curriculum materials that you can review. The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning has an online review of these programs at (http://www.casel.org). They provide information on curriculum for teens, including:

• Community of Caring (http://www.communityofcaring.org)
• Learning for Life (http://www.learning-for-life.org)
• Lions-Quest (http://www.lions-quest.org)
• Peace Works (http://www.positiveaction.net)
• Productive Conflict Resolution Program: A Whole School Approach (http://www.schoolmediationcenter.org)
• Teenage Health Teaching Modules (http://www.thtm.org)
• Tribes TLC: A New Way of Learning and Being Together (http://www.tribes.com)

You may also want to look at the model program at (http://www.modelprograms.samhsa.gov)

Regarding questionnaires, classroom environment, etc., see the Quick Find on the Center's website entitled Environments that Support Learning. There you will find information on practices and such instruments as The Classroom Environment Scale, by R. Moos and E. Trickett. (You can also find information on this at http://www.mindgarden.com).

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UCLA Center for Mental Health in Schools
Dept. of Psychology, P.O.Box 951563, Los Angeles, CA 90095.
tel: (310)825-3634
email: Linda Taylor ~ web: https://smhp.psych.ucla.edu