Fourth Edition, September 2011

Who else should be involved?
Teachers play an important role in the identifi cation of possible mental health problems, but they are 
not alone. A team approach, that involves parent(s)/guardian, other staff in your school, and sometimes, 
specialists from your Board and community, is important to solving these problems.
Each school and school board may have diff erent procedures for what comes next. Turning to your 
school’s Learning Resource Teacher (LRT), School Resource Teacher (SRT), counselor or principal may be 
the next step in identifying the problem and developing solutions. All schools are required to have a team 
that reviews students who are not achieving as expected.
Parents are important in helping to solve these problems as well. Speak to your principal or colleagues about 
the particular procedures for requesting additional help with a mental health problem in the classroom.
How do I know what mental health problem I’m dealing with?
Mental health problems in children and youth are often complex and overlapping. There is often no sim-
ple test or procedure to accurately diagnose mental health problems. As you will see in the following 
pages, many behaviours or symptoms that you observe in the classroom may be indicators for several 
diff erent mental health problems.
In Ontario (under the Health Professionals Act), the only professionals who are qualifi ed to diagnose men-
tal health problems are physicians (including psychiatrists) and psychologists. Teachers have an import-
ant role in this process, though, as they can provide observations on the child’s or youth’s behaviour that 
may not be seen by the parent or in the professional’s offi
ce.
Your school board may have professionals on staff who can make these sorts of diagnoses, but in most 
communities, a referral to children’s mental health services is necessary. In Ontario, these services are 
funded by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, and delivered by independent organizations. 
Many of these organizations are members of Children’s Mental Health Ontario, which maintains a listing 
by geographic area on their web site, www.kidsmentalhealth.ca.

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A 5
Mental Health in the Classroom
Making a Diff erence: An Educators’ Guide to Child and Youth Mental Health Problems
www.cymhin.ca