A classroom that cares: building mental health support in schools

Supporting students’ mental health has never been more important. Teachers are often the first to notice when a student is struggling, and knowing how to respond can make a real difference. From the 12th to the 18th of October 2025, educators from across Europe gathered in Palermo for the course Promoting Students’ Well-being and Mental Health in Schools: Strategies for Teachers and Education Staff, a week dedicated to understanding, supporting, and strengthening well-being in the classroom.

The group brought together a mix of experiences and backgrounds. From Latvia came Marika and Liga from the Jelgava Primary School "Valdeka’’  as well as Vita and Inga from the Iecava Secondary School. Ana and Svjetlana joined from Croatia from the school Osnovna škola Šestine. Then, Friederike and Johanna from Germany from the school Gymnasium Lohne. 

The week began with introductions and an overview of mental health and well-being in schools—looking at what these terms mean, why they matter, and how they affect both learning and relationships. From there, the group explored how to raise awareness in the school community, recognising early signs of difficulty and building a culture that values openness and support. On Monday, the group overviewed an introduction to mental health, what is mental health and mental wellbeing, exchanged the situations in their schools, and shared self-care practices. On Tuesday the group indulged in getting to know the development stages of Erikson and challenges, protective and risk factors as well as bullying and cyberbullying.

Midweek sessions introduced mindfulness, participants also discussed how mindfulness can help students regulate emotions and reduce stress during the school day. On Wednesday the group overviewed emotional intelligence with Goleman in order to learn about emotions, sharing teachers' challenges by using  smart goals and  empathy.

Later in the week, the focus shifted to emotional intelligence—understanding emotions in ourselves and others, and using that awareness to build trust, empathy, and stronger classroom relationships. The final sessions looked at cognitive and behavioural strategies, giving participants practical tools they could adapt to different age groups and learning contexts. On Thursday the group dived in getting growth mindset vs fixed mindset as well as inclusion and membership in the classroom. On Friday the group overviewed stress management and mindfulness in the classroom. 
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By the end of the course, the group left Palermo with a clearer understanding of how to address mental health in schools—not just as a reaction to problems, but as an ongoing, proactive part of teaching. They returned home with new strategies, activities, and perspectives to share with colleagues and to bring into their own classrooms, helping to create school environments where students feel safe, supported, and ready to learn.

Discover more about this course here.