Mental Health Research: Practical Tips for Teachers and Practitioners to Navigate the Evidence

...with Andre Tomlin

In this episode, Andre from The Mental Elf discusses how we can make mental health research accessible and useful for teachers and practitioners. The conversation tackles the challenges of jargon, paywalls, and misleading headlines, sharing practical tips for spotting reliable studies and avoiding common pitfalls. Andre highlights the power of co-producing interventions with young people, the importance of prevention, and the value of focusing on emotions and relationships in schools.

*Trigger Warning* - the discussion is focussed on mental health and there is brief discussion of suicide.

Links to the resources mentioned are below:

• The Mental Elf: nationalelfservice.net/mental-health
• André Tomlin - LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/andretomlin/
• The ReSET Podcast Series https://resetproject.co.uk/the-reset-podcast/
• Schools in Mind — free, evidence-based resources specifically for schools: https://www.annafreud.org/resources/schools-and-colleges/schools-in-mind/
• Mentally Healthy Schools website — helps schools navigate what actually works https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/
• Children and Young People's Mental Health Coalition https://cypmhc.org.uk/
• Kiva Podcast with Julia Badger: https://changingstatesofmind.libsyn.com/unpacking-the-complexities-of-bullying-from-counter-connecting-to-whole-school-solutions
• Kiva Podcast with Lucy Bowes: https://changingstatesofmind.libsyn.com/bullying-its-everybodys-problem
• More Mental Health podcasts from Psychology in the Classroom: https://changingstatesofmind.com/mental-health-%26-wellbeing

Bullet point outline:

• Challenges in making mental health research accessible to non-researchers, particularly educators and practitioners.
• The gap between published research and its practical application in real-world settings.
• Issues with paywalls, academic jargon, and the complexity of research language.
• Importance of critically evaluating research headlines and studies, including understanding correlation