The Sixth World Conference on the Promotion of Mental Health and ...

• Safe Schools/Healthy Students
• SAMHSA’s Division of Prevention, Traumatic Stress, and Special Programs in the Center for
Mental Health Services
Breakout sessions included presentations on <strong>The</strong> Prevention and Wellness Project, Project Launch, the
US/Canada School Mental Health Alliance, and Audible Hearts. Additional topics included psychotherapy
for torture survivors in Northern Iraq, developing resilience in response to bullying in schools, and the
effects of sports and exercise on mental health.
Strategy 4: Implementing Effective Programs
Sir Michael Marmot (UK) and Professor Mark Greenberg (US) opened the Strategy 4 session. Sir Marmot
presented the findings on the social determinants of health and mental health. A review of current
research, he noted, indicates that the risk factors for poor mental health, such as depression, loneliness,
and behavioral problems, are closely tied to socioeconomic and other inequities, particularly low
education, income, and employment. To “close the gap” of inequities in health outcomes, requires
focusing on social justice through interventions starting in early childhood and continuing through
community development and support. Sir Marmot stated, “If you put fairness at the heart of all decision
making, health will improve and health inequalities will diminish.” Policy objectives, he urged, should
include giving every child the best start in life; enabling all children, young people and adults to maximize
their capabilities and have control over their lives; and creating and developing healthy and sustainable
places and communities.”
Prof. Greenberg reviewed current research on effective programs, highlighting the advances that have
been made through empirical validated health (EV) preventive interventions and policies. However, he
noted, there are three major gaps in transforming science to practice: “Knowledge Transfer (what is
known is often not what is adopted)”; “Implementation (what is adopted is not used with fidelity and good
outcomes)”; and “Sustainability (what is used with fidelity is not sustained for a useful period of time).” As
examples for implementing and sustaining effective programs, Prof. Greenberg discussed the
Communities that Care (CTC) model, which created infrastructure to build and nurture decision-making at
the community level. He also highlighted Promoting School-community-university Partnerships to
Enhance Resilience (PROSPER), a program that works within existing systems such as cooperative
extension programs and public schools to involve families and teens.
Strategy 4 symposia focused on a variety of national and international programs:
• Zippy’s Friends: evidence and experience from an international programme promoting children’s
emotional wellbeing
• Mental Health First Aid International
• Universal and targeted approaches to school-based prevention of substance use and mental
health problems
• Strategies to identify, disseminate and support best practices for community healing and wellness
in Indian Country
• International perspectives on implementation of mental health promotion approaches
Additional breakout sessions featured a variety of strategies, including the Laughing Qigong Program in
Taiwan, community mental health literacy, work with youth expelled from California schools, and using
web-based programs for suicide prevention in universities.
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