Social Emotional
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
While SEL and mental health are not the same, SEL promotes positive mental health in many ways. By promoting responsive relationships, emotionally safe environments, and skills development, SEL cultivates important “protective factors” to buffer against mental health risks. In this way, SEL is an indispensable part of student mental health and wellness, helping to improve attitudes about self and others while decreasing emotional distress and risky behaviors. SEL should be implemented as part of a system of mental wellness supports and resources that include promotion, prevention, early intervention, and treatment.
SEL is part of a high-quality education for all students that supports academic performance, school climate, graduation rates, and other important developmental outcomes and life goals. SEL helps students of all ages to do better in school by applying five core competencies:
Self-awareness: students learn how to recognize their emotions and how they affect their behavior
Self-management: teaches students how to control their thoughts, emotions and actions and set realistic goals
Social awareness: demonstrates the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and try to understand how people in different backgrounds and cultures see things
Relationship skills: teaches students how to build and maintain healthy relationships with people from diverse backgrounds
Making responsible decisions: students can choose how to act or respond to a situation based on learned behaviors such as ethics, safety and the well-being of others
Healthy Relationships
Not all relationships are healthy, but you deserve on that is. Check out this website to live chat with relationship experts or learn about the following:
Understanding consent
How to set boundaries
Warning signs of dating abuse
Healthy relationship resources