SCHOOL ORGANISATIONAL CLIMATE

MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION, 1I~'LlCAtIONS AND PROPOSED PROCESS FOR ADDRESSING MILD PSytH61bCIAL PROBLEMSIN SCHOOLS

Abstract

This paper is concerned with how school organizational climate affects mental health and its potential usefulness in offering mental health services to school c.hildren. A review of literature established that organizational climate has been recognized as a concept which can be helpful in understanding the functions of organization. The extent to which a school organizational climate is "open" or "closed" as indicative of a positive or negative mental health orientation was therefore discuued. Types of psychosocial and mental health problem categories ranlced by students as the most frequently seen problems for male and female students were highlighted. The paper presented some possible warning signs of mental health problems the school should be alerted to. Evidence was cited to support the proposal for the use of interrelationship of schools organizational climate as a focus for mental health preventive strategies. The expected outcome measures for the proposed mental health prevention through school organizational climate were 'illustrated. The paper offered specific recommendations on what should be included in school policies as a strategy for
mental health prevention in schools.