Catherine Johnson
Thesis title
Developing a Model of Practice for teachers to support primary school aged children with internalizing mental health problems
Description of Research Project
Internalizing problems, which include anxiety disorders, are among the most prevalent mental health problems in Australian children and have the potential to affect students’ learning and behaviour in the primary school classroom. While the mental health literature identifies numerous highly structured psychoeducational and therapeutic interventions that can be delivered in the school setting with the aim of preventing and addressing internalizing problems in children, there is a paucity of research describing the knowledge and skills that primary teachers might need to use to support children within the ecosystem of the classroom. This research aims to (1) examine the existing literature on current recommended or reported strategies for primary school teachers for supporting children with internalizing problems (2) develop a set of evidence-informed and practitioner validated strategies for primary school teachers to most feasibly and effectively support students with internalizing problems and (3) develop a Model of Practice designed to improve teacher’s overall practice in supporting students with internalizing problems.
Supervisors
Principle Supervisor: A/Prof Laura Hart
Co-Supervisor: A/Prof Jon Quach
Biography
Catherine Johnson is an early career researcher at the Centre for Health Equity, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, who has made significant contributions to the burgeoning field of Mental Health Literacy for Supporting Children (MHL-SC). Her work primarily focuses on understanding how adults recognize and respond to mental health problems in children and adolescents, with a particular emphasis on the role of schools, teachers and parents, and has the potential to inform the development of more effective interventions to improve the mental health and well-being of young people.
Funding/Scholarships
Australian Rotary Health Child Mental Health PhD Scholarship, 2022-2025
ORCID ID: 0000-0003-2443-4826
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