Week 2: The relationship between mental health and adult learning

Introduction

Positive mental health, incorporating positive emotions and good mental functioning, enables a person to be productive, to cope with life stresses and to utilise their potential. This also enables them to be a good learner. On the other hand, if a person’s mind is dominated with negative thoughts that interfere with their ability to function, their learning will undoubtedly be negatively affected.

Last week you looked at the definitions of mental health, terminology, explored common mental health challenges and the impact of social and cultural factors. This week you will look further at the relationship between mental health and learning and will learn more ways to best support your learners with mental health issues to reach their potential. You will investigate how to provide learners with mental health challenges with a positive learning experience to help them overcome barriers to continue their learning.

By the end of this week, you should be able to:

• appreciate the difference between positive and negative mental health
• understand the mutual relationship between mental health and learning
• support learners with empathy mapping
• set boundaries and maintain effective relationships with learners
• use reflection to enhance your competency in supporting learners with mental health issues.