CETL St. Augustine Workshop Registration

Globally, the education sector is faced with many challenges and opportunities. In the current social, economic and political climate, higher education institutions are constantly faced with increasing evidence of the impact of stress on staff and students. The mental health of staff and students has been described as at ‘crisis point’ by some who point to evidence of higher suicide rates among students, higher rates of depression and stress-related illnesses. As educators and administrators involved in education, we need to understand what can be done to cope with mental health issues to make a difference in education. What bold approaches can we adopt?

Professor Wendel Abel’s presentation Making a Difference in Education: Tackling Mental Health issues, will explore problems in the Caribbean education system such as stress, suicide, trauma including adverse childhood experiences, crime and violence, and substance abuse. He will also identify broad strategies such as early identification of problems, and tools for educators and administrators to address these issues. One such tool is “I-Message” in interpersonal communication which involves the expression of emotions, beliefs and values, and allows persons to take ownership of their feelings.