A German federal ministry’s mental health prevention program for schools has shown positive results, according to a scientific evaluation by the University of Leipzig. The program, Mental Health Coaches, has received a largely positive response from the coaches themselves, school administrators, students, and representatives of the organization implementing the program.
According to the evaluation, 83 percent of surveyed school administrators rated the acceptance of the program as good to very good, and 90 percent were satisfied to very satisfied with the collaboration. A sample of students at 16 schools also gave the program a mostly positive evaluation, with 97 percent of students rating the program as good to very good. Eighty-six percent of the young people surveyed expressed a desire for the program to continue.
The Mental Health Coaches program was launched at the start of the 2023/24 school year, aiming to strengthen the mental health and resilience of students. The program, which was implemented at around 100 schools in Germany, employed coaches from social work, education, and psychology backgrounds to provide preventive offers, aiming to strengthen young people. The program’s future depends on the federal budget for this year.