Training Teachers to Become Mental Health Promoters: Impact on Their Well-Being

Teachers are identified as a risk group for developing mental health problems. This fact seems worrying because it is known that young people spend a lot of time in school, and apparently, the teachers' mental health problems can affect the students' mental health and well-being. This study aimed at analysing the impact of training teachers to become mental health promoters on their own mental health and well-being. A total of 276 teachers who work in schools in the Portuguese mainland participated in the ES’COOL training. Two evaluation moments were carried out: the initial evaluation - one week before the beginning of the training, and the final evaluation - one week after the end of the training. Results show that in addition to the skills worked on during the training, the teachers' well-being and mental health also improved at the end of the training. The variable that proved to be the most important for the promotion of teachers' well-being was that they started the training with more positive affect and greater life satisfaction.