Sharpen Mental Health Literacy (SMHL)
Category: Mental Health Literacy
Modality: Curriculum
Summary
Sharpen® Mental Health Literacy (SMHL) is an evidence-based, 5-hour asynchronous course for high school students. Students engage with 135 peer-to-peer documentary films woven into strength-based modules on mental health literacy, stigma reduction, suicide prevention, disordered eating prevention, help-seeking and personal resilience, including 5 Minute Mindfulness™ practices rooted in mindfulness-based stress reduction.
SMHL is implemented as a near-peer mental health literacy mentor training program as well – mentors complete the 5-hour course and then lead Sharpen® Peer Resiliency programs for younger students.
Content is secular and non-denominational by design, so it can be delivered in any public school. Peer testimony is drawn from the learner’s own community.
Strategies supporting educational equity (CASEL)
Not available at this time.
Implementation
Below are key implementation details for this program. These specifications help determine if the program is a good fit for your school or organization.
Grade(s)
High School (9-12)
Setting
Classroom
Language
English
Cost
Contact provider for flexible school, district and organizational pricing.
Program Design
Tier 1 (Universal)
Outcomes
Decreased substance use
Improved attitude/behavior related to substance use
Advocate for reducing stigma associated with emotional and mental and behavioral health
Compare & contrast emotional, mental-behavioral illness, mental well-being and concurrent disorders
Decreased suicidal behavior
Describe how self-harm or suicide impacts other people
Describe laws related to minors accessing mental health care
Explain how to help someone who is thinking about attempting suicide
Identify school and community resources that can help a person with emotional, mental and behavioral health concerns
Improved Academic Performance
Improved attitude/behavior related to suicide
Improved identification of individuals at-risk for suicide
Improved Identity Development/ Agency
Improved Prosocial Behavior
Improved School Climate
Improved School Connectedness
Improved SEL Skills and Attitudes
Improved Teaching Practices
Increased help-seeking behavior
Reduced Emotional Distress
Reduced Problem Behavior
Mental Health Literacy Components
This program addresses the following mental health literacy components:
Understanding stigma and strategies for stigma reduction
Understanding how to foster & maintain positive mental health
Understanding how to seek help effectively
Understanding common mental health disorders, signs and symptoms, and treatments
Evidence of Effectiveness
Peer testimony is drawn from the learner's own community. In an independently analyzed college cohort, 45% of students were Pell-eligible and 41% were first-generation, and medical student outcomes did not differ by race, gender or class year. SMHL has been evaluated in several populations that utilize the same or similar Sharpen® modules as the high school course.
Published Studies
Medical students: In a five-hour SMHL course adapted for medical students, 54 students at a multi-campus osteopathic medical school raised their Mental Health Literacy Scale scores from 135.30 to 148.10 (d = 1.41, p < .0001; Magalhaes et al., 2026).
https://www.sharpenminds.com/blog/sharpen-dtx-and-vcom-abstract-accepted-for-aacom-s-educating-leaders-2026-conference
Foster parents: In a three-year study, 334 South Carolina foster parents completed the five-hour SMHL course. Resilience rose 8.63% (d = 0.267, p < .001) and self-compassion rose 7.35% (d = 0.242, p < .001; Biber, Hussa Farrell, & Farrell, 2026).
https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.6624959
College peer mentors: College mentors trained through the five-hour SMHL course had a mean Mental Health Literacy Scale score of 145.69 and reported gains in help-seeking and in recognizing warning signs (Biber & Rothman, 2024).
https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-06-2023-0148
Vescent near-peer mentors: After the five-hour SMHL course, all 16 Vescent mentors recognized crisis protocols, including 988 and when to escalate to a licensed clinician, and 85% reported more confidence handling difficult conversations about suicide and eating disorders (Hussa Farrell & Abel, 2025).
https://www.sharpenminds.com/blog/efficacy-of-mental-health-literacy-training-for-college-peer-mentors
School staff: In the school-based training that was the inception for developing SMHL, faculty and clinicians at seven schools in three states showed significant gains on all five self-efficacy items for identifying, approaching, and referring students (p < .001; Anderson et al., 2017).
https://doi.org/10.1080/10640266.2017.1289793