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Competencies and Sub-competencies

Delaware recognizes the importance of each of the five Mental Health Literacy Competencies and promotes the inclusion of each one and the accompanying Sub-competencies within a comprehensive K-12 Mental Health educational program.

Recognize mental health as brain health, an integral component of overall health

  • Promote the health and wellbeing of the whole person
  • Understand that caring for mental health requires actions including awareness of self-care, self-regulation, and varying levels of assistance
  • Understand physical health and mental health as a continuum rather than a binary of illness and wellness

Promote social and emotional competence as a protective factor

  • Identify and name one’s own feelings
  • Recognize and seek to understand the feelings of others
  • Work to manage feelings and find the positive even when facing adversity or loss
  • Create healthy routines and supportive relationships

Enhance awareness about mental health challenges

  • Understand that mental health challenges are common and not the result of personal flaws or failures; rather, they may develop from various biological and environmental factors
  • Understand that mental health challenges are treatable and recovery is possible
  • Recognize signs and symptoms of emerging mental health problems and how they may develop in self or others
  • Recognize negative coping strategies including substance misuse and self-harm and how they may develop in self or others
  • Recognize signs of crisis including suicide and substance use crises and how they may develop in self or other
  • Understand the value of early intervention to help prevent progressive symptoms and secondary challenges

Increase help-seeking behavior

  • Understand the importance of help-seeking for addressing, treating, and recovering from mental health problems
  • Understand value of trusted adults and identify one’s own trusted adults
  • Identify and know how to access appropriate resources and supports available in school and in the community
  • Understand how to ask for help for self as well as how to offer help to others

Decrease Stigma

  • Understand stigma and its negative impact on cultural attitudes affecting help-seeking
  • Recognize and replace stigmatizing language and seek opportunities to reframe with inclusivity
  • Identify ways to decrease negative attitudes about mental health challenges that may pose barriers to recovery