As schools face increasing demand for interventions and services to address students’ mental health needs, education leaders are looking for practical tools to strengthen student well-being.
To support this need, REL Northeast & Islands recently added two fact sheets to its series on using Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to promote student mental health. Applying an MTSS approach to mental health promotion efforts can help schools and districts better identify student needs, align resources, and monitor how supports are working.
These fact sheets offer evidence-based strategies for two critical areas: supporting digital well-being and strengthening suicide prevention efforts within schools.
Promoting Digital Well-Being
Recent reports indicate that 95% of adolescents use social media platforms, with more than one-third reporting near constant use, raising concerns about how digital media use is affecting youth mental health.
Our new fact sheet, Using an MTSS Approach to Promote Students’ Digital Well-Being, explores the risks and benefits of digital media use among youth and offers guidance to support healthy and positive media engagement, including practical examples across MTSS tiers.
For example, to identify and address the needs of students who are at an elevated risk, schools can train staff to recognize signs of problematic digital media use—such as students falling asleep in class or becoming irritable when separated from devices. Students may then be referred to Tier 2 supports, such as small-group skill-building interventions that strengthen time management skills and help students cope with online stress. For students who continue to exhibit problematic digital media use, schools can work with families to refer students to Tier 3 supports, such as individual mental health counseling or specialized clinics for gaming and internet-related disorders.
Strengthening Suicide Prevention
According to recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey data, 20% of high school youth seriously considered suicide, and 40% reported feelings of persistent sadness and hopelessness in the previous year.
REL Northeast & Islands’ new fact sheet, Using an MTSS Approach to Implement Suicide Prevention, presents evidence-based practices educators can use to organize prevention efforts across MTSS tiers.
Within schools, suicide prevention efforts can include a coordinated set of policies, practices, and interventions that recognize the many interconnected factors affecting student well-being. Such efforts aim to strengthen overall student well-being while reducing factors associated with suicidal thoughts, behaviors, and deaths.
For example, school connectedness—a student’s belief that they are a valued member of the school community and that adults and peers care about them—is strongly protective against suicidal thoughts and behaviors. To promote this sense of belonging, schools can establish positive behavioral norms and expectations that foster supportive peer relationships and normalize help-seeking when students are struggling. These Tier 1 supports help create a protective school environment for all students.
Promoting Digital Well-Being and Preventing Suicide Webinar
The content experts who created these fact sheets—Dr. Shai Fuxman, Sarah MacGillivray, Tori Todd, and Sommer Albert—recently showcased them in a webinar for school and district staff, including school counselors and those who coordinate MTSS, student well-being, mental health, and other student services. The webinar provides an overview of the three-tiered MTSS framework, followed by research-based policies and practices for digital well-being and suicide prevention.
Together, the fact sheets and webinar offer practical strategies that education leaders can apply and share to strengthen supports for student well-being.
To Learn More
- Watch the Multi-Tiered Approaches to Supporting Mental Health in Schools: Promoting Digital Well-Being & Preventing Suicide webinar
- Download the Using an MTSS Approach to Promote Students’ Digital Well-Being fact sheet
- Download the Using an MTSS Approach to Implement Suicide Prevention fact sheet
