Mental Health Programs for Specific Grades
The MHEP Selection Tools provide lists of approved K-12 comprehensive, age, and developmentally appropriate programs to support mental health education.
Compare Programs
Select the program providers you want to compare. See K-12 Comprehensive Mental Health Programs.
| Erika's Lighthouse | Hopeful Minds by iFred | NAMI | Wisconsin 3-5 | Teen Mental Health First Aid (TMHFA) | The Compassion Project | Active Minds | Imagine Learning | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade Levels | 4-12 | 5th grade, with 3 lesson unit for 2nd grade option | 6-12 | 3-5 | 10-12 | K-5/6 | High School | ||
| Mental Health Literacy Competencies | |||||||||
| Recognize mental health as brain health, an integral component of overall health | |||||||||
| Promote the health and wellbeing of the whole person | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Understand that caring for mental health requires actions including awareness of self-care, self-regulation, and varying levels of assistance | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Understand physical health and mental health as a continuum rather than a binary of illness and wellness | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | |
| Promote social and emotional competence as a protective factor | |||||||||
| Identify and name one's own feelings | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | |
| Recognize and seek to understand the feelings of others | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Work to manage feelings and find the positive even when facing adversity or loss | Yes | Yes | Implied | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Create healthy routines and supportive relationships | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Indirectly | |
| Understand that mental health challenges are treatable and recovery is possible | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | |
| Recognize signs and symptoms of emerging mental health problems and how they may develop in self or others | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Recognize negative coping strategies including substance misuse and self-harm and how they may develop in self or others | Yes | Mentions addiction, although does not specifically review substance use | Included in warning signs | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | |
| Recognize signs of crisis including suicide and substance use crises and how they may develop in self or other | Yes | Addiction is targeted | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Understand the value of early intervention to help prevent progressive symptoms and secondary challenges | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Indirectly | |
| Increase help-seeking behavior | |||||||||
| Understand the importance of help-seeking for addressing, treating, and recovering from mental health problems | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Indirectly | |
| Understand value of trusted adults and identify one's own trusted adults | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | |
| Identify and know how to access appropriate resources and supports available in school and in the community | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | |
| Understand how to ask for help for self as well as how to offer help to others | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Decrease Stigma | |||||||||
| Understand stigma and its negative impact on cultural attitudes affecting help-seeking | Yes | Implied, although not seen in the program review | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Indirectly | |
| Recognize and replace stigmatizing language and seek opportunities to reframe with inclusivity | Yes | Did not see | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Indirectly | |
| Identify ways to decrease negative attitudes about mental health challenges that may pose barriers to recovery | Yes | Did not see | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Indirectly | |
| HB 301 Specific Requirements | |||||||||
| Taught by appropriately certified teachers or appropriately certified providers of community mental health | Teacher | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Recommended evidence-based or evidence-informed programming | Evidence-informed | Uses research based information | Yes | Evidence-informed | Evidence-based | Evidence-informed | Unconfirmed | Evidence-based | |
| Comprehensive, developmentally-appropriate and sequential in nature | YES Grades 4-6 We all have Mental Health, 5-9 Depression Awareness, 8-12 Depression awareness and Suicide Prevention | Yes | Yes, Grades 3-5 | Yes, ages 15-18 | Yes, Grades K-5/6 | Unconfirmed | 6-12 | ||
| Additional Topics Addressed by Program | |||||||||
| Consent Education- Title 14, Ch. 41, §4167 | No | No | No | No | No evidence | No | No | No | |
| Drug and Alcohol Education- Regulation 551 | Substance use/misuse is reviewed | Addiction is mentioned | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Erin's Law, Personal Body Safety- Title 14, Ch. 41, §4163 | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
| School Bullying Awareness and Prevention- Title 14, Ch. 41, §4164 | Bullying is reviewed | Anti-bullying strategies | Bullying mentioned | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | |
| Suicide Prevention - Title 14, Ch. 41, §4165 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
| SEL (update with 508) | Yes | Yes | New version may be | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Implementation | |||||||||
| Cost | FREE | FREE | FREE | FREE | Unconfirmed | FREE | FREE | Unconfirmed | |
| Training/Qualification? | Staff training | No training needed | NAMI presenters | N/A | Yes | Unconfirmed | Educators are provided a facilitators guide | N/A | |
| Cost of Training/Qualificiation | Online/certificate | FREE | FREE | N/A | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | FREE | N/A | |
| Modality | Video Based | 16, 45 minute lessons | Can be in person or virtual | Print materials | Blended | Online, videos, print materials | 13, 45 minute lessons, to be taught in-person by teacher | Online, classroom instruction and hybrid | |
| Integrated SEL, Culturally Responsive | Yes | CASEL Aligned | Yes for updated version | SEL and CR | Yes | SEL/No CR | Yes to SEL | SEL and CR | |
