Greetings from the MHLC…

Back to School with the MHLC!

We hope your summer has been a restful and rejuvenating one and that you’re ready for a new school year. In this issue of MHLC Messenger, we focus on MHL in schools for both K12 and higher education, offering resources for students, practicing and pre-service teachers, school leaders, and school community members.

Let’s make the 2025-26 the school year for mental health literacy!

MHLC advisor Erin Wick says, “We can’t only treat our way out of this crisis.” We know this is true. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 96% of public schools provide mental health services, yet only 56% of schools believe their services are effective. Mental health literacy (MHL) education is a proactive approach to addressing the youth mental health crisis.

The MHLC focuses on bringing MHL workshops and training to education professionals: leaders, teachers, staff, and pre-service professionals. With knowledge and confidence, educators can teach MHL effectively, helping students to understand mental health just as like physical health.

The MHL Young Adult Advocacy Toolkit is a powerful way to elevate youth voice around MHL. Developed by young people for young people, this 50+ page FREE resource is a perfect back-to-school addition for students, educators, school leaders, and parents/caregivers.

Low educator confidence is a primary barrier to implementation of MHL education in schools. We developed MHL Aware for Educators with this in mind. Over 800 educators have completed this one-hour asynchronous training and its average rating is 4.9/5 stars. Pre-/post- survey data shows that educator confidence increases from 50% to 98% with MHL Aware for Educators.

We’d love to share this resource with educators and leaders in your school community. Visit our training/resources page to learn more. And, if you’re a pre-service educator, read on to discover how to access MHL Aware at no cost!

No cost MHL training for higher education students entering school professions

Through our CGI Commitment to Action, we're offering our one-hour, asynchronous MHL Aware for Educators training to pre-service educators and education grad students, at no cost.

This educator-created course covers what mental health literacy (MHL) is, why it matters, and how to start bringing it into your school community. It is designed exclusively to address any concerns educators may have about bringing MHL into their classrooms.

NEW for 2025-26 school year: We’ve just added a FREE Classroom Discussion & Learning Extensions Resource to support instructors using the training in higher ed settings.

Students from 25+ universities have already taken part. Here are some of the schools represented so far:

• Central Michigan University

• Harvard University

• James Madison

• Loyola University Chicago

• Misericordia

• University of Iowa

• University of Nebraska Medical Center

• University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

• West Virginia University

With a 4.9 ⭐ average rating and pre/post survey results showing 80% increase in MHL confidence, the impact is clear!

Ready to bring MHL into your classroom? Visit our initiatives page to access the student course link and download the discussion guide or reach out to info@themhlc.org.

Did you know we’re working on a FACILITATOR GUIDE for MHL Aware? This will allow local school leaders to engage with their community effectively using MHL Aware content. We can't wait to show you this exciting new way to build EDUCATOR CONFIDENCE around MHL! Email info@themhlc.org to learn more.

The Mental Health Literacy Collaborative is a project of Players Philanthropy Fund, Inc., (“PPF”), a Texas nonprofit corporation with federal tax-exempt status as a public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (Federal Tax ID: 27-6601178, ppf.org/pp). Contributions to The Mental Health Literacy Collaborative qualify as tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Questions? Suggestions? Email us at info@themhlc.org