Sharing Narratives to Foster Mental Health Literacy in Teacher Candidates

This study explored the nature of teacher candidates' mental health narratives in the context of completing an elective course in mental health and wellness. How students deconstructed their narratives and the narratives of their peers over time was also explored. Participants included 67 fourth-year students completing a five-year concurrent teacher education program. Data was collected over two academic years and consisted of students' beginning-of-course and end-of-course narratives. The narratives were analyzed using content and thematic analysis. The findings are discussed in the context of using shared narratives as case study to promote self-reflection, discussion, problem-solving and mental health literacy within undergraduate courses.