Free Online Course for Educators on Mental Health Literacy


Educators and school personnel play a vital role in promoting mental health and well-being and identifying and responding to emerging mental illness in children and adolescents. However, they often have not received the education, training, and/or ongoing support needed to respond in the classroom.
To address this need,the MHTTC Network, in partnership with the National Center for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, has developed a FREE self-guided online course, video library + resource collection, and a website focused on educator mental health literacy. The 3-part training package, Classroom WISE (Well-Being Information and Strategies for Educators), was informed by and co-developed with educators from across the nation.

These resources present concrete, universal approaches to promoting student mental health and creating safe and supportive classroom environments, describe student behaviors that may indicate a mental health concern, and provide specific skills and evidence-based strategies to engage and support students with mental health concerns. To date, over 19,000 learners have enrolled in the Classroom WISE online training, and over 13,000 have completed it! To learn more about course completions by states/territories across the United States and beyond, access our interactive Classroom WISE Completions Map here.

In 2022, we compiled a 2-page summary to highlight the first year of Classroom WISE. This summary highlights a milestone of over 10,000 course completions and includes participant feedback, quotes of how educators plan to use Classroom WISE, and a description of our dissemination efforts to increase Classroom WISE implementation in schools. You can access the summary here.

Catch a sneak peek of Classroom WISE below! Complete access to the training package is now available at www.classroomwise.org. Note: We encourage you to share the information about Classroom WISE widely with your colleagues - a flyer to disseminate is available here.


Now available! A Companion Training to Classroom WISE   

A new companion training to Classroom WISE, the Cultural Inclusiveness and Equity WISE (Well-Being Information and Strategies for Educators), is now available! Educators will learn how inequities in education impact student mental health and how implicit bias influences our perceptions and responses. Building on this foundation, educators will learn culturally inclusive classroom strategies to support student mental health. Learn more here!


Classroom WISE Online Course Modules


Intended Audience

  • K-12 teachers
  • School personnel

Course Objectives and Evidence-Based Components

Upon completion of this course, the educator will be equipped with strategies that can be used to promote student mental health and support students experiencing adversity, distress, and mental health challenges in the classroom. A detailed list of course objectives is available here. Learn more about the evidence-based components in Classroom WISE here.


Classroom WISE Implementation Resources

The Classroom WISE package provides knowledge and skills that are effective and applicable for educators, school personnel, and school health and mental health professionals. We know that training alone is not enough to create practice change. Taking the Classroom WISE online course and reviewing the videos and resources are only the first steps. It’s up to you and your school team to decide how to use the Classroom WISE materials to implement actual changes and enhance how your school promotes student mental health and identifies and responds to students with mental health concerns.

The MHTTC Network has developed several resources to help school teams develop a plan for implementing Classroom WISE. Resources include a Classroom WISE Implementation Guide, stories from four schools that recently utilized and implemented Classroom WISE, and more. Access all Classroom WISE Implementation Resources here.


Course Platform

The 5-hour self-paced course is available free of cost on the HealtheKnowledge platform. The HealtheKnowledge online learning portal offers a wide variety of courses in the areas of improving health and healthcare services.


Course Certificate of Completion

A free certificate of completion for 5 contact hours is provided to participants upon completion of the course requirements.


Classroom WISE Video Library

Access over 50 brief, high-impact and engaging videos of students and educators giving examples to help all students feel welcome in the classroom. The videos are embedded in the Classroom WISE online course and also available as stand-alone resources for educators and school personnel on the Classroom WISE website here.


Classroom WISE Resource Collection

Identifying Student Distress, Tips for Starting Mental Health Conversations, and Creating Mental Health Bulletin Boards are just some of the Classroom WISE resources available. This ever-evolving collection includes resources created to supplement the Classroom WISE online course, as well as resources from other mental health and school organizations. Access this resource collection on the Classroom WISE website here.


Classroom WISE Publications and Presentations

Educator-Informed Development of a Mental Health Literacy Course for School Staff: Classroom Well-Being Information and Strategies for Educators (Classroom WISE) describes the curriculum development process, including results of focus groups and key informant interviews with educators and school mental health experts. Access this publication here.

Below is a listing of presentations that highlight findings from a Classroom WISE Implementation Project conducted with schools across the United States in 2021.


Subscribe to our MHTTC monthly e-newsletter to receive updates on Classroom WISE, and gain access to other resources for educators and school staff related to student mental health! Questions? Contact the MHTTC Network Coordinating Office at [email protected].

Copyright © 2024 Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network
map-markermagnifiercrossmenuchevron-down