Transforming Mental Health with CDC’s Guidance as Heart-CenterED Changemakers
The mental health crisis extends far beyond schools and has become deeply seeded within humanity’s bloodstream, whether known or hidden. Because the crisis has become so massive and likely touched every heart in some way, we need to go straight to the hearts of children to stop the cycle. Schools, as the creators of the next generation, hold a pivotal role. As children begin to heal the mental health wounds, the adults around them–especially their family and society–can heal, too. Children reflect the nervous systems of the adults around them, but the opposite is also true when we open our hearts to the possibility that children can help adults. The way children can begin the healing process is through a school climate that is heart-centered.
As mindful educators and leaders, we are called into this mission. Many of us have been on this journey for years, showing and BEING what is possible, yet the pull of the world’s surrounding conditions have blocked us time and time again. Some of us have become disheartened from the spiral, some have been too afraid to step into our power to face the resistance, and some hold onto the mission, continuously searching for the possibility. It is time as Heart-CenterED Changemakers to rise and be seen because, this time, we have the support of the Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH), the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC released a guide for schools, Promoting Mental Health and Well-Being in Schools: An Action Guide for School and District Leaders. Within the guide, six core recommendations were shared: increase students’ mental health literacy, promote mindfulness, promote social, emotional, and behavioral learning, enhance connectedness among students, staff, and families, provide psychosocial skills training and cognitive behavioral interventions, and support school staff well-being. This is a HUGE step in education and the world, propelling our transformation forward. These recommendations from national organizations backing our transformational efforts are a part of developing courageous, calm, and connected learning communities. Additionally, the CDC and team emphasized that there is no one solution or curriculum, but rather strategies and approaches within the multitiered system of support (MTSS) structures.
Although this report opens the door further, we still have a long journey ahead as Heart-CenterED Changemakers to foster sustainability collectively. Several considerations within the recommendations, although subtle, require awareness as we take action: the verbiage we use, the listed order of the recommendations, the “fix it” mindset, and the familiar pattern of reactive approaches. Within this celebration, we need to continue advocating and taking action—change is POSSIBLE.
Awareness #1: The Verbiage We Use
Take a look at the recommendations (page 9) and notice the verbiage that is used. On the surface, it may seem aligned; however, when we take a step back it, the words within the recommendation are actually in a passive and mediocre space: “promote”, “enhance”, “provide”, “support”, “deliver”, “offer”, and “implement”. We need to be careful with this verbiage because if we have teachers and leaders who are not willing to embark on this journey, they can inadvertently become a detriment to our students. As validated in the MYRIAD study, when teachers were not dedicated, invested, or personally practicing well-being approaches, they did not yield results and students became resistant or disinterested. It takes one teacher to ruin–or transform–a child’s experience and that is why it is essential to have Heart-CenterED Changemakers at the core of education and every classroom. Instead, notice how shifting our language changes the intention of the recommendations.
“Promote/Provide/Deliver/Offer/Implement” becomes Embody/Integrate/BE. We are engaging in more than just “giving” instruction. Instead, this kind of teaching is elevated and takes a special heart-centered approach. We are not “covering content”, it is truly a new way of being, teaching, leading, and learning. Support is needed to nurture the growth of educational staff in this transformative process.
“Enhance” requires you to define this as a school. “Enhance” can be just one level above where you are, but is that enough for your students, families, and communities?
“Support” becomes Grow/Foster/Develop/Nurture. While support remains a crucial aspect, we need to delve beyond the surface into sustainability.
See the table below in “Awareness #2” for shifting the verbiage.
Action Invitation: Transformative coaching supports the change process and shifting mindsets. If this is something your staff needs support with, reach out to The Butterfly Within™ to explore supportive options.
Awareness #2: The Recommendation Order
When we look at the recommendations, there is still a mismatch in priority values on how we approach the steps. Notice the order of the six recommendations, notice what is still listed last: support school staff well-being. Even if we can address the recommendations in any order, the indirect messaging behind the order is an interesting noticing. The school staff is what fosters the school climate. Many of the other pieces can not have as strong of an impact if school staff well-being is not prioritized. Also, several of the recommendations are a part of the process instead of separate steps.
Consider this order, format, and refinement instead. The bolded words are either changed verbiage or elements that need to be added. Pay attention to how the intention shifts with the refinements.
*These become the tiers and the recommendations within the report align with parts of the tiers. The “provide psychosocial skills training and cognitive behavior interventions” become a part of the responsive and reactive tier.
Nurture connectedness among students, staff, families, and communities: When we enhance relationships within the entire learning community, a positive school climate is cultivated collectively. Since everyone is affected by our mental health challenges, fostering connections becomes essential in addressing misconceptions, fostering collective growth, and reducing stigma across environments. Every action contributes to building trusting relationships in education. Take a moment to reflect: If you were to rate your learning community’s connectedness, where would it be?
Grow and support school staff well-being, then the well-being of students, families, and the community: As the relationships are formed and a positive climate is established across settings, the focus needs to be on supporting and growing well-being. Starting with school staff ensures the climate continues to create impactful conditions for students and the community. Mindfulness creates the internal conditions for heart-centered practices and sets the foundation for sustainability. Mental health literacy allows us to call mental health forward through a common language to name it to tame it…not shame it, along with developing a wealth of internal and external resources to support mental health. Through social, emotional, and behavioral learning, we can put all of these pieces into the fabric of education through instruction, practice, feedback, and integration.
Develop supportive systems of care across all tiers: Instead of thinking of Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3, consider shifting to using Proactive, Responsive, and Reactive when developing resources, supports, interventions, and approaches. When we are tapping into mental health and well-being, there are similarities within curriculum and instructional practices; however, there are differences as well. By using this verbiage, we support the mindset shifts with staff and ensure that there are frameworks for supporting students across the proactive to reactive continuum. Each component is needed and has its place in the framework. Often, education stays in the responsive and reactive space rather than proactive. By reframing our lens, we can have quality proactive conversations. This verbiage also removes additional labels and stigmas around “Tier ___ Kids” and places the focus on the solution options to meet student needs.
A note on providing psychosocial skills training and cognitive behavioral interventions: Rather than being an action step, these interventions serve as reactive measures when mental health wounds persist despite proactive and responsive efforts. Given the accumulated years of mental health concerns, having solutions to address significant challenges becomes necessary. The goal is to reach a point where our world no longer requires substantial interventions, achieved through the holistic and transformative efforts of Heart-CenterED Changemakers.
Action Invitation: Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to be an essential partner in providing mental health support to children, staff, and families. The Butterfly Within™ has been providing resources and learning around “The Intersection of AI, Mindfulness, and Education.” please reach out to learn more.
Awareness #3: The “Fix It” Mindset
While recognizing the CDC's focus on disease prevention and the crisis lens, it is important to acknowledge that our educational challenges extend beyond reactive interventions. The report, though proactive in several layers, predominantly reflects a mindset of fixing what is broken, evident in its emphasis on treatment, therapy, stigma, mental illness, help-seeking, disorders, and intervention. In our collective mission to address the mental health crisis, it is crucial to recognize that we have long been enveloped in the challenges of an outdated, broken, and at times harmful education system. As we heal the brokenness, we need to begin shifting our mindset into becoming proactive within the reactive fix-it spiral.
The butterfly metaphor encapsulates this journey: we have lingered in the chrysalis, the goop of broken systems and reactive interventions. Yes, we have acknowledged the brokenness; however, our aim extends beyond merely fixing what is broken. It is time for a transformative metamorphosis, a shift from fixing to building, from healing the past to envisioning and constructing the future. Transformational coaching emerges as a crucial partner in this journey, guiding us through the unknown with intention and purpose. The Butterfly Within™ framework infuses transformational coaching, a powerful approach that does not just mend the broken wings; it cultivates the strength to soar, creating a future where education is a vibrant, flourishing butterfly—beautiful, resilient, and profoundly transformative.
Action Invitation: With the unknown in building the future of education, coaching becomes an essential part of your school’s journey. The Butterfly Within™ transformational coaching approach recognizes the unique journey of each learning community and member. Unlike consulting, which follows a predetermined path within current school structures, transformational coaching embraces the unknown, acknowledges the need for systemic change, and co-creates something new to support the development of possibilities within and beyond the classroom.
Schedule your complimentary connection session to see how we can support your goals together.
Awareness #4: The Reactivity
The steps outlined in the guide are each essential for transformation, yet many districts may currently lack the supports, structures, climate, or aligned personnel necessary. Often with new recommendations, reactive and impulsive decisions are made to “put in place” different “initiatives”, this cannot be the case for mental health and well-being. Development needs to be done with care and intention for success. Mental health is not an initiative or temporary; it is a new way of being and teaching. Addressing it requires more than a one-size-fits-all approach/curriculum, a wand, or compliance checkboxes. While it will take time to nurture effective approaches, the investment now will set the foundation for lasting transformation within education.
A caution around reactivity: It is important to be aware of curriculum companies and what they develop to support mental health. They need to have a certified well-being and mental health practitioner on their curriculum development team. It is easy for companies to assume that they can mirror quality well-being lessons and mindfulness practices. Curriculum developed from unawareness with a checkbox approach, lacking a heart-centered intention, may have unaligned components that negatively impact students, staff, and society. Especially with many curriculum companies desire of being “first” to offer an all-encompassing program. As a school and district, make sure you also have the appropriate Heart-CenterED Changemakers making these curricular decisions. This way of teaching and leading is not something you “do”, it is a way of being. Think of it as a framework rather than a curriculum.
Action Invitation: To begin the process, The Butterfly Within™ offers a creative simultaneous growth option through two children’s books, especially for the elementary levels. Big Change, Better You, Beautiful World provides the foundation for the change process and an introduction to mindfulness. The Superpower of Your HEART develops lasting Mindfulness-Based SEL and climate structures through the book and Teacher’s Guide.
As we stand at the intersection of possibility and change, the imperative is clear—transformation in education is not just a lofty goal; it is an urgent necessity. The CDC recommendations provide a guide, and as Heart-CenterED Changemakers, our collective responsibility is to turn this guidance into action, mindfully. It starts with each of us, in our classrooms, schools, communities, and homes, weaving a tapestry of well-being that extends far beyond textbooks and classrooms. By embracing the power within, fostering heart-centered practices, and engaging in purposeful actions, we become architects of a future where mental health is nurtured, resilience thrives, and education evolves into its potential for heart-centered generations to come.
Heart-CenterED Changemaker Actions:
Schedule a Brainstorming Session with Lindsey Frank
Scheduling a complimentary brainstorming session is a transformative step towards fostering a heart-centered approach to education. Your session with Lindsey Frank, the founder of The Butterfly Within™, explores your learning community’s unique needs, challenges, and strengths and determines possible next steps and options for coaching. This session provides a space for reflection, possibilities, and action planning to align with your school’s vision, values, and goals.
Join the Coalition of Schools Educating Mindfully (COSEM)
Explore COSEM’s resources that navigate the practical application of the CDC recommendations in your educational setting. COSEM serves as a valuable asset, and provides a crosswalk illustrating how COSEM's resources and initiatives align with each of the six core recommendations. Within COSEM’s framework, educators and leaders gain practical insights into integrating mindfulness, enhancing connectedness, and supporting well-being. It's a roadmap for implementing positive change within your learning community, supported by a coalition dedicated to the well-being of both students and educators.
