Overview
Intersections and Connections of Restorative Justice, Mental Health, and Education in Schools
Schools are tasked with myriad initiatives to support the learning, mental health, and needs of students and families. Often, however, these initiatives are siloed or contradictory, causing many educators to feel dejected from initiative fatigue. Restorative justice practices help schools weave together their aims of creating a vibrant and equitable learning where the mental well-being of students and staff are prioritized. Research demonstrates that restorative justice is a way to build and strengthen school culture, address mental health needs of staff and students, while also addressing existing inequities that negatively impact learning.
This training course explores the Restorative Justice in Education Framework and describes different restorative justice practices. The course will outline the connections between restorative justice and mental health. It will also explore how restorative justice can promote equity. Finally, this course emphasizes how restorative justice supports the well-being of staff and students.
Module 1: What is Restorative Justice in Education?
Module 2: What are Different Types of Restorative Practices that are Used in Schools?
Module 3: How Do Restorative Practices Support the Mental Health of Staff and Students?
Module 4: How Do Restorative Practices Promote the Development of Equitable Learning Environments?
Module 5: What Can I Do Now?
Target Audience
Behavioral Health and school-based professionals including teachers, social workers, counselors, and other human services professionals who would like to increase their understanding on Restorative Justice, mental health, and equity in schools.
Modality
This course consists of 5 online, self-paced, interactive learning modules, approximately 40 minutes in length. Participants must complete the learning modules, a post-test, and a course evaluation to receive a certificate of completion. This course takes approximately 3 hours to complete.
Policies and ADA Accessibility
If you require any of the auxiliary aids or services identified in the Americans with Disabilities Act in order to. participate in this program, please call us at (919) 843-6083, or e-mail us at bhs-support@unc.edu. Websites and courses have been developed in compliance of US Section 508 standards where applicable or meeting W3C priority 1 guidelines for web accessibility.
Please send all questions, concerns, and support inquiries to:
bhs-support@unc.edu.
Training Details
Module 1: What is Restorative Justice in Education?
This module increases understanding of the origins of restorative justice, the restorative justice in education framework, and how restorative justice differs from the punitive approach to discipline in schools.
Learning Outcomes
School-based professionals who successfully complete module 1 will:
- Understand the principles of the Restorative Justice in Education Framework
- Differentiate restorative justice practices that should be implemented in schools.
- Show how restorative justice efforts support equity and mental health in schools.
Module 2: What are Different Types of Restorative Practices that are Used in Schools?
This module increases understanding of the different types of restorative practices that can be used in schools. Some of the practices are universal practices, meaning that everyone in the school can use them, while other practices require more training, such as those that are part of a restorative justice team or restorative justice practitioners.
Learning Outcomes
School-based professionals successfully completing Module 2 will:
- Recognize three different types of restorative justice practices.
- Apply a restorative approach to a scenario.
Module 3: How Do Restorative Practices Support the Mental Health of Staff and Students?
This module increases understanding on how restorative practices can support the mental health of staff and students.
Learning Outcomes
School-based professionals successfully completing Module 3 will:
- Define what mental health is and mental health challenges.
- Identify the role of risk factors and protective factors in the development of mental health challenges.
- Recognize signs and symptoms when a youth may be experiencing a mental health challenge.
- Recognize ways to support a youth, in non-crisis situations and crisis situations.
- Recall national mental health resources to support youth.
- Recognize how restorative practices in schools can support the mental health of staff and students.
Module 4: How Do Restorative Practices Promote the Development of Equitable Learning Environments?
This module increases understanding on how restorative practices can support equity within learning environments.
Learning Outcomes
School-based professionals successfully completing Module 4 will:
- Define what is equity, inequity, and equality.
- Recognize how restorative practices in schools can support developing equitable learning environments.
Module 5: What Can I Do Now?
This module helps learners identify immediate steps to implement their learning. Additionally, learners will also identify resources to continue their learning in the areas of restorative justice, mental health, and equity.
Learning Outcomes
School-based professionals successfully completing Module 5 will:
- Apply knowledge of restorative justice, mental health, and equity to students in and outside the classroom.
- Identify resources to continue to build knowledge about restorative justice practices and implementation.
- Identify resources to continue to build knowledge on mental health literacy.
- Identify resources to continue to build knowledge about centering equity in schools.
Register
- Please be sure to be logged on to the BHS site.
- Click the button below "Take Me to the Course" to enter the course. The course will open in a new tab.
- You can always re-visit the course by visiting your "My Courses" tab on your account page.
Presenters
Soumya (pronunciation: SOH-myuh, she/her) is an anti-bias anti-racism educator in progress, licensed psychologist, and trainer. Bringing warmth and energy, she provides training and promotes transformative change in the areas of health care inequities, centering anti-racism, leadership development, and supervision. Her journey facilitating changes in communities started with planning and implementing prevention programming at a rape crisis center. Currently, Soumya is a National Trainer for Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and most recently, was a medical consultant for the Social Security Administration.
In addition to being a National Trainer, Soumya was instrumental in the rewrite of Adult MHFA 2.0, Youth MHFA2.0, and the associated train-the-training programs. Furthermore, she has provided consultation to organizations and schools to center equity and implement restorative justice. Prior to consulting, Soumya served as an Associate Director at University Health Services at UW- Madison, sitting on the leadership team for the mental health division.
Ian (pronunciation: EE - uh n, he/him) is a Wisconsin-based educator with 15 years of classroom teaching experience. As a teacher and student advisor, Ian mentors students and staff on how to center justice and equity through course and project design. These projects are grounded in essential questions which contain multiple avenues for teachers and learners to access knowledge, develop new skills and demonstrate learning.
As a school-based Restorative Justice practitioner, he developed and sustained a partnership with the YWCA (in Madison, WI), weaving Restorative Practices into myriad aspects of the teaching and learning environments throughout the school. Ian’s pedagogical approach is also heavily influenced by his experience with interdisciplinary instruction and project-based learning. His work in developing collaborative, interdisciplinary, and project-based work with students was captured in Wisconsin Public Radio’s Classroom Frequency, which aired in June 2019 and was awarded a regional Edward Murrow Award for Education.
Continuing Education
UNC SSW, 1406, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. UNC SSW maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 8/10/22-8/10/25. Social workers completing this course receive 3 general continuing education credits.
UNC SSW has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6642. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. UNC SSW is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. The successful completion of this online course qualifies for 3 contact hours.
