Implementation-sensitive approaches to school mental health have been proposed as being responsive to the needs of the education system. We worked with a group of expert stakeholders to identify a wide range of characteristics of implementation-sensitive approaches. These statements (n = 50) were sorted into concepts by 20 participants. Participants also ranked the importance of each statement. Group concept mapping created a six-concept solution including (1) Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, (2) Implementation Informed from the Outset, (3) Intervention Characteristics, (4) Evidence, Theory, and Practice-Informed, (5) Authentic Stakeholder Engagement, and (6) Ongoing Learning and Sustainability. We subsequently conducted two focus groups to gather feedback and contextualize the clusters.

While the positive outcomes of social-emotional learning (SEL) are well documented, few studies examine the mechanisms supporting students’ SEL. Seven elementary teachers participated in audio-recorded focus groups/interviews following the implementation of an evidence-based, implementation sensitive SEL intervention. The current study identifies key mechanisms for effective school-based SEL interventions: (1) a whole-class approach; (2) a new vocabulary and shared language; (3) implementation of short, easy, reliable practices; (4) emphasis on transferable SEL strategies; and (5) improvements in teachers’ SEL knowledge, confidence, and behaviour. Findings support prevention and intervention practices to educate, train, and support stakeholders on the importance of classroom SEL.

It is widely recognized that the most effective student mental health interventions, tools, and resources are those that are solidly grounded in theory, evidence, and practice. But developing interventions in this way can be a time-consuming, challenging process. This article describes the process of developing a classroom resource to build social emotional learning skills among high school students in Ontario. The resource was informed by the latest research evidence while also being sensitive to the implementation context and needs of educators and students. In creating, evaluating, and revising these resources over several years, lessons have emerged about what it takes to navigate inherent challenges, balance competing needs and priorities, and ultimately develop an intervention that is both evidence-informed and implementation sensitive. Flexible funding, effective partnerships, and a commitment to contextual responsivity are key.

The Let’s Talk in the Classroom (LTIC) Guide was designed to provide teachers with the education and support required to feel confident delivering mental health-related material in the Grade 7/8 classroom. The overall goal of this preliminary evaluation was to explore the acceptability, feasibility, and utility of the Guide using a mixed methods approach. A matched, pre/post-test evaluation of the Guide was conducted during the 2017/2018 school year among a sample of educators in Ontario, Canada (n = 42). Quantitatively and qualitatively, results demonstrated that teachers felt more confident and expressed fewer worries associated with teaching mental health-related lessons after engaging with the Guide and were suggestive of acceptability and utility, with continued challenges associated with feasibility identified.

In this case study we use the Quality Implementation Framework (QIF) to identify implementation strategies within the context of a six-year university–school board partnership that implemented and evaluated the MindUP program in Southwestern Ontario. Attention to all four phases in the QIF were found to contribute to the success of the initiative. Being implementation-sensitive required significant pre-implementation work at the outset, ongoing attunement to changing contexts and challenges, and dissemination to target stakeholders. The community-based participatory research principles, the importance of alignment, rapid knowledge mobilization within and beyond partners, and responding to challenges and opportunities were identified as key components for success.

Cet article décrit un projet de recherche collaborative, entre praticiens-partenaires et chercheurs, portant sur un modèle d’accompagnement et de formation des intervenants scolaires, visant une mise en oeuvre optimale et durable de programmes et d’interventions fondées sur des données probantes concernant le développement de la socialisation des élèves (prévention de la violence) ainsi que leur bien-être psychologique. La conceptualisation et l’expérimentation de ce modèle reposeront sur une structure et un fonctionnement partenarial mobilisant pas moins de 11 organisations représentant divers partenaires du milieu scolaire, qui travailleront avec plus de 18 chercheurs et 10 collaborateurs sur une période de trois ans.

This paper describes the implementation of BRISC, a brief evidence-based intervention within an implementation framework; specifically, we provide a 5-year retrospective on the successes and remaining gaps of the approach. Interviews were conducted with 13 clinical team leads from diverse school boards in Ontario. Seven themes emerged from our coding: BRISC being seen as an effective and efficient practice, clinicians’ attitudes and self-efficacy, promoting system readiness, high-quality training, data-informed decision-making, effective clinical supervision, and communities of practice to create ongoing learning and professional development. These themes highlight the importance of considering different levels and systems in developing an implementation plan.

Brief digital interventions (BDIs) may help address the mental health needs of students when realworld resource constraints limit access to in-person or longer-form care. This article describes BDIs, which are conceptualized as being at the intersection of short-term interventions, internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy programs, and measurement-based care. We use a real-world example of a BDI which was delivered in Ontario schools as a practice example for this mode of intervention. We then identify potential clinical and ethical considerations, and we highlight some of the challenges of implementing and evaluating innovative interventions and measurement-based care initiatives in Canadian schools.

One Tier 2 approach to school-based youth suicide prevention is gatekeeper training, where teachers and school staff learn to respond to students in distress. Although promising, implementation-sensitive prevention efforts could be advanced by providing additional training to natural leaders in the school building, so they can support and coach others. The purpose of this study is to describe the development and initial mixed-methods pilot evaluation of a natural leader training to support the real-world implementation of QPR^® gatekeeper training, a Tier 2 (selective) intervention. This study underscores the importance of creating implementation approaches to meet the needs of real-world school contexts.