Creative expressive therapy in schools to address childhood trauma: A mixed methods study of a whole school trauma-informed approach

Schools are uniquely placed to support students affected by trauma, but effective support depends on building trauma-informed practices across the whole school community.

This article examines the KidsXpress School Partnership Program, which embeds creative-expressive therapists and trauma-informed consultants within Australian primary schools. The study found improvements in student wellbeing, emotional regulation, coping, confidence and help-seeking, alongside increased staff understanding of trauma-informed practice. However, challenges including staffing constraints and cultural differences around mental health highlight the importance of sustained support and embedding trauma-informed approaches within school systems for lasting change.

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Promoting mental health without pathologising life: A prevention perspective

In Australia and other developed countries, the conversation around mental health has dramatically changed over recent years – more awareness, less stigma, greater help-seeking. However, from this, a question has emerged: Are we increasingly medicalising normal human experiences, such as stress, grief, and sadness?

This article explores whether we have unintentionally created systems that view people’s needs primarily through a medical lens, making diagnosis the main pathway to support, and the effects this can have on individual agency and resilience. The article emphasises the importance of creating systems that can distinguish between low wellbeing and mental illness and connect people with the support they need.

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A systematic review and meta-analysis of school-based interventions for PTSD and trauma-related symptoms: What effective elements they have in common?

Schools can play a critical role in supporting young people who have experienced trauma, but with a wide range of interventions available, it can be difficult to know which approaches are most effective.

This review examines 45 studies of school-based trauma interventions and identifies the elements most consistently associated with reductions in post-traumatic stress symptoms. The findings highlight the value of approaches incorporating psychoeducation, cognitive behavioural therapy and coping skills, alongside practical factors such as group-based delivery, trained and supervised facilitators, parental involvement and structured program manuals. Together, these findings provide useful guidance for schools seeking to implement effective, trauma-informed support for students.


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Rates and impact of mental disorders among Australian youth: Prevalence, severity, and trends from two national psychiatric surveys

Mental health among young Australians has changed markedly over the past 15 years. New national data show that the proportion of 16–24-year-olds experiencing a mental disorder in the previous 12 months in Australia rose from 23.4% in 2007 to 36.2% in 2020–2022.

This article explores these changes in more detail, finding particularly large increases in anxiety and mood disorders, alongside rising levels of comorbidity, psychological distress, suicidality and disability. At the same time, substance use disorders declined. The findings highlight not only that more young people are experiencing mental disorders, but that those experiencing them are increasingly likely to experience greater severity and functional impairment.

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APMD Symposium 2026 – Call for Abstracts

The Alliance for the Prevention of Mental Disorders (APMD) would like to invite you to the 10th anniversary APMD Symposium, to be held immediately prior to the 2026 Society for Mental Health Research (SMHR) Conference in Ōtautahi, Christchurch, New Zealand.

The APMD 2026 Conference will be held from 10am – 4pm on Tuesday 24th November 2026 at the Te Pae, Christchurch Convention Centre. The Conference will include interactive discussions focusing on the latest research relating to the prevention of mental disorders.

We welcome Abstracts on any research related to prevention and mental health promotion. Please email your 300-word Abstracts directly to Katrina Champion at Katrina.champion@sydney.edu.au by Friday 21st August 2026. The template can be found here.

Registration is available as part of the SMHR 2026 Conference Registration. The NZ$115 registration fee covers room hire and catering. To register for SMHR and the APMD Conference please click here. If you are not planning to attend SMHR but would like to attend the APMD Conference, please contact Nicola Reavley at nreavley@unimelb.edu.au.

Confirmed speakers for the day include: 

  • Distinguished Professor Maree Teesson AC – Director of The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health & Substance Use, the University of Sydney
  • Professor Alison Calear (Australian National University) who will present on her work on parent and caregiver gatekeeper training programs.
  • Maja Havrilova (Prevention United) who will present on Prevention United programs that aim to build workforce capability for prevention.
  • A/Prof Amy Morgan (University of Melbourne) who will present new findings from a National Survey of Attitudes to Prevention.
  • Dr Joep van Agteren and Dr Matthew Iasiello, Be Well Co, who will present on their taxonomy of wellbeing.

We look forward to seeing you in Ōtautahi, Christchurch!

Baseline findings from Study 1 of a longitudinal co-evaluation of the Live4Life adolescent mental health promotion model in regional Victoria, Australia

The Live4Life model, developed by Youth Live4Life, is a mental health promotion and suicide prevention program designed for adolescents in rural and regional Australian communities. The program combines delivery of Mental Health First Aid education with youth leadership, mental health advocacy, and community-tailored mentorship and implementation.

This paper presents baseline findings from the Live4Life co-evaluation, outlining cohort demographics and initial mental health indicators. These insights establish a foundation for future longitudinal analyses.

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Social connection as a key target for youth mental health

It is well established that positive social connections play a critical role in supporting mental health and promoting wellbeing. During adolescence, connections with peers and school communities become increasingly influential as the importance of peer relationships continues to grow.

This paper highlights evidence across two key domains of social connection: peer relationships and school connectedness, with both domains influencing young people’s wellbeing. The paper suggests that approaches that strengthen these connections hold significant promise for improving youth mental health.

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Ealy-life protective factors for adolescent self-harm and suicidality: A longitudinal cohort study in Australia

Suicide and self-harm are serious public health concerns that can emerge during childhood and adolescence. While much of the existing research has focused on identifying risk factors, less attention has been given to the protective factors that support mental wellbeing.

In this study, researchers examined the type and timing of early-life factors that may help protect against self-harm and suicidality during adolescence. The findings suggest protective factors change as children grow and develop, highlighting the importance of timing when designing policies and interventions.

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A Delphi consensus study on the dimensions of positive mental health

Inconsistent use of terms such as positive mental health, flourishing, and mental wellbeing across disciplines limits reliable measurement, intervention design, and policy development. In this study, researchers aimed to gather a consensus on a preliminary taxonomy of positive mental health dimensions using the Delphi method.

Six dimensions reached over 90% agreement across experts from 11 relevant disciplines: meaning and purpose, life satisfaction, self-acceptance, connection, autonomy, and happiness.

This taxonomy supports more consistent conceptualisation and greater cross-disciplinary alignment, helping to strengthen the development of interventions and policy.

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Annual Research Review: Improving school climate to improve child and adolescent mental health and reduce inequalities

Much of the research around school mental health has focused on using schools as a setting to deliver new interventions to large numbers of young people. Increasingly however, research is shifting towards changing the school system itself to support student mental health and wellbeing, with a growing emphasis on improving school climate.

This article explores debates around the potential benefits and harms of school-based interventions, before focusing on school climate as a key target for mental health promotion and prevention.

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