Megan Smith is completing a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Education at the University of Melbourne, researching the mental health care pathways that primary schools initiate to support their students. As well as being a qualified Occupational Therapist (OT), with a Bachelor of Science in OT from Curtin University, Megan recently earned a Master of Public Health from the University of Melbourne, and holds a Graduate Diploma in Mental Health Science, also from the University of Melbourne.

Megan has extensive clinical experience as a mental health OT, primarily in adult community mental health services, and chose to complete further training in public health due her desire to improve mental health outcomes at the population level. She has previously volunteered in Bangladesh as a Mental Health Project Officer and has an interest in supporting mental health in the global community. She is interested in the intersection between health and education, and how this can be optimised to get the best outcomes for children experiencing mental health difficulties.

It is estimated that half of all adult mental illness begins before the age of 14, but only a fraction of children experiencing mental health difficulties access appropriate supports. Children spend large amounts of their time in schools under the direct supervision of adults, making them ideal locations for mental health needs to be identified and addressed. Understanding the care pathways that primary schools implement to support student mental health is essential to improve mental health outcomes for children. But these issues are complex, and the school context is an important factor in what services are available to students.

A framework for evaluating complex systems, called systems evaluations theory, will therefore be used to guide this research. Comprehensive mapping of mental health care pathways of participating schools in Victoria and Western Australia, and will provide a deeper understanding of factors which impact how children struggling with mental health are identified and supported. Mapping will be a collaborative process, conducted with school leadership and key stakeholders.

Two important areas this research hopes to identify within mental health care pathways are the relationships between health and education, and the subsystems employed to support the needs of students from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) backgrounds.

Findings will inform recommendations for improving mental health care pathways in primary schools to better meet children’s mental health needs.

Supervisors: Associate Professor Jon Quach and Dr Georgia Dawson.