Mental health programming aims to support student and teacher wellness
As mental health concerns amongst children and educators continue to rise across the country, it’s now more important than ever to prepare teacher candidates with the skills to help struggling students and support their own well-being.
That’s the goal for professor Susan Rodger, a psychologist and professor in the Bachelor of Education program and the Counselling Psychology graduate program, who has been at the forefront of Western Education’s efforts to integrate mental health literacy into teacher education for over 12 years.
The need is clear. Children’s Mental Health Ontario estimates that 1.6 million children and youth in Canada have a mental health disorder. At the same time, 26 per cent of teachers in Canada are likely to be diagnosed with anxiety and 16 per cent are likely to be diagnosed with depression.
“My approach has always been that we can't have student wellness without teacher wellness. We need to look at both. Students who have a teacher who has a high level of stress don't do as well academically,” said Rodger.
“There are lots of studies to suggest that when teachers struggle, they leave the profession. It’s important that we take these highly qualified people and support them as they embark and continue on in these careers of making a difference for kids.”
With a background as a school psychologist, Rodger supported children and youth who were struggling in school and met many teachers who wished they could do more to support their students. When she joined the Faculty of Education, the gaps she had observed in her practice sparked her desire to conduct research on mental health literacy, and later, to create a course on the topic.
“We created the course with the goal of helping teacher candidates understand how the context of their students’ lives, such as socioeconomic status, affects their academic performance and mental health,” said Rodger.
“We also look at how personal circumstances affect how teachers show up in the classroom and how to maintain their health, level of energy and hopefulness.”
Today, the Mental Health Literacy and Safe Schools course has evolved to include content related to school violence and violence prevention and is co-taught by Rodger and professor Katreena Scott, academic director of the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children.
Scott leads the course content on safe schools, which addresses topics including bullying, gender-based violence, aggression, and proactive, skills-based methods to support children and youth who are finding it challenging to self-regulate emotions and behaviours in the classroom. She also helps students explore research-informed practices and educational policies including progressive discipline, working with the office and restorative practices.
“Physical and psychological safety are not ‘extras’ in a school environment; they are the foundational requirements for any education to take place,” said Scott.
“When a teacher creates a safe classroom, they aren't just preventing harm; they are actively building the trust necessary for students to develop and learn.”
For Rodger, a key outcome of the class is helping students understand that while there are many reasons students may have unmet needs, most of these students won’t receive a diagnosis.
“We don’t focus on diagnoses, because often, you’re not going to know,” said Rodger.
“Instead, we emphasize the importance of universal design in the classroom and help teachers learn how to build a strong relationship with their students using the principles of trauma and violence-informed care.”
Student feedback on the course has been resoundingly positive. Rodger says students particularly enjoy the use of the case study method which helps them put the strategies they learned into practice.
“They loved having the strategies and having the opportunity to learn about the universal design approach,” said Rodger. “They loved being able to develop plans of support for kids who have behavior problems.”
The course is just one of the ways that Western Education supports the wellness of teacher candidates. Other initiatives include a food bank for students and a variety of wellness-themed activities and lectures.
In February 2026, students attended a conference that focused on achieving wellness in the context of the day-to-day work of teachers. Session topics ranged from preventing burnout to managing difficult conversations, classroom management and emotional regulation.
“Our mental health programming and the teacher wellness conference reflect the powerful collaboration between our expert faculty, the teacher education office, and the Education Student Council in translating research into meaningful practice,” said Anton Puvirajah, associate dean of teacher education.
“These initiatives ensure that our teacher candidates are not only equipped to support the well-being of their students but are also supported in developing their own resilience and professional sustainability.”
All of the faculty’s wellness initiatives have been supported by the Walter M. Lobb Program for Mental Health for Educators. Tragically, Walter Lobb, a former graduate student from the faculty and an elementary school teacher, died by suicide. His estate created the Walter M. Lobb Program for Mental Health for Educators and the Walter M. Lobb Ontario Graduate Scholarship, which is awarded to a graduate student conducting research in the Faculty of Education focused on children’s mental health. His life is honoured through this legacy.
“The projects that Mr. Lobb’s generous donation has supported have always been focused on helping our teacher candidates ensure they can implement wellness initiatives for themselves once they graduate,” said Rodger.
“The fund is a wonderful way to honor Mr. Lobb’s legacy as an educator and also address the tragedy of his death, and so many others, through supporting the mental health of our future teachers and their students.”
