TFDL

Mental Health and Wellbeing in Schools: Social Justice in Practice

Program/Degree

Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma (4 course program) towards the MEd Interdisciplinary

Delivery

Fully Online

Duration

One year (4 consecutive terms)

Contacts

Graduate Program Administrator:
Lisa Dale
Email

Academic Coordinator:
Dr. Elisa Lacerda-Vandenborn
Email

Program Overview

This certificate/ Diploma is designed to meet the needs of teachers and other staff working in school settings who find themselves in informal or formal counselling or career guidance roles within the school setting, and who want to expand their knowledge base in this area. It is also designed to allow graduates of the certificate program to ladder into a future course-based MEd in School Counselling, which is currently under development.

Program Details

Courses in this program are offered fully online. Courses are held in both an asynchronous environment (D2L) and a synchronous (real-time) environment (Zoom) which allows instructors to virtually meet and talk with students and experience a live exchange of ideas, hear class presentations and do group work with access to a whiteboard. For additional information regarding online delivery, refer to the eLearn website.

A registration package will be sent to new students after they have been admitted. Registration for the summer term will be available in late winter. Fall and Winter registration opens in the spring. Your Graduate Program Administrator will send more information about registration to you.

Fee details are available on the Faculty of Graduate Studies website.

The University of Calgary offers multiple ways to meet the cost of your education. Please refer to the Awards, Scholarships and Bursaries page to learn more about options available to students. For additional information, please contact Student Financial Support.


Program Schedule & Course Descriptions

  • Program begins each Summer term (refer to the Academic Schedule for specific dates)
  • Outlines are normally available 1-2 weeks prior to the start of term in D2L
  • 3 units per course

Term 1 - Summer

Supporting Student & Teacher Wellness (Promoting Comprehensive School Health)

In this course, students will explore foundational knowledge that guides approaches to comprehensive school health and the promotion of health and wellbeing in school settings. Special emphasis will be placed on developing on supporting strategies that support student and teacher wellness. Students will critically evaluate programs, theories and research relevant to health and wellness, while enhancing skills in coordinating such strategies in school settings.

Registration info:
EDPS 693.38 S05 (50361)

Term 2 - Fall

Social Justice Trauma-informed Practice

In this course students will expand their knowledge base of the impact of trauma in the school setting from a social justice lens. The course will examine how schools play a role in hindering and supporting individual and collective wellbeing. Macro (e.g., structural oppression, discrimination) and micro (e.g., prejudice, interpersonal violence) factors and aggressions will be examined as potential sources of individual and collective trauma. Individual and community-building strength-based and cultural-safe promoting interventions will be discussed from the perspective of equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization.

Registration info:
EDPS 693.39 S05 (73965)

Term 3 - Winter

Structural and Systemic (Mental Health and Wellness) Interventions

In this course students will explore the different systems and structures that contribute to mental health promotion and how the school can serve as a hub of wellness to individuals, communities, and societies. The course will orient students to critical contemporary theories and interventions. From a social justice perspective, students will address supportive practices and interventions that connect the wellbeing of children and youth in schools to that of their families and communities.

Registration info:
EDPS 693.40 S05 (13367)

Term 4 - Spring

Special Topics in (Social Justice,) Promoting Wellness, and Career Counselling

In this course students will explore current topics, approaches, and innovations in wellness promotion in schools from a social justice lens perspective. Examples of topics include career counselling in K-12 settings, youth-led advocacy, school-community partnerships, critical service learning.

Registration info:
EDPS 693.41 S05