Introduction
The program is a workshop conducted by healthcare professionals to educate teachers about mental issues in Saudi Arabia. In the workshop, healthcare professionals will share their strategies for tackling mental issues and outline how these strategies can be modified to help teachers cope with their problems. The program will last for two days: on the first day, healthcare professionals will speak on situations conducive to the development of healthcare issues and on the ways to avoid them. The problem of teachers’ burnout will be raised and advice given on how to tackle this state. On the second day, specific mental issues such as depression, mood, and neurotic disorders will be examined in depth, including their symptoms and the ways to fight them. Healthcare professionals will provide guidance on what a person himself or herself may do to ease his or her mental state and when it is time to seek the advice of a healthcare professional. The workshop will be conducted in a lecture hall that seats approximately 200 people. The attendance for teachers is free of charge provided that they register online at least two days before the start of the workshop.
Goals of the Program
First of all, the workshop aims to determine the reasons for teachers’ mental problems and outline measures that can be taken to offset mental health problems development. Secondly, the workshop serves to offer specific strategies that can be used to tackle teachers’ burnout and mental issues teachers may have. The proposed goals were established in consideration of the fact that more and more teachers suffer from mental issues in Saudi Arabia and not all of them are ready to seek medical help (Al‐Subaie et al., 2020). Therefore, consultations are needed on the ways to fight depression and other states without seeking medical advice (Ahmed, 2019). Another reason is that little research has been made on the prevalence of mental issues among teachers in Saudi Arabia and the workshop will help to close this gap in the knowledge. Teachers’ burnout and COVID-related depression were generally found to be the main reasons for teachers’ developing mental issues; however, the ways to tackle these states so far have not been properly studied (Alqassim et al., 2022).
The Vision and Mission of the Organization
The mission of the organization is to provide quality mental healthcare to individuals from different teaching communities in Saudi Arabia. The proposed workshop is directly connected to this mission as it involves providing help to a specific group – that of teachers, with an emphasis on high-quality mental health services. The organization’s vision is to become the number one company that elaborates efficient approaches to tackling mental health issues among teachers. As the workshop aims to suggest some ways to fight depression, mood, and neurotic disorders, it can be seen as a stepping stone towards the goal of finding effective means for working on mental issues.
A Needs Assessment
The proposed workshop needs certified specialists to give meaningful consultations to teachers and explain the material; a place where the workshop will take place, and a feedback form where teachers may express their impression of the programs and indicate what aspects of the workshop they would like to be improved. Before the start of the workshop, all specialists will undergo additional training on distinctive features of the teaching profession and the emotional problems teachers experience. Healthcare professionals will have to be educated on the peculiarities of a teacher’s job so that they are able to advise strategies most complimentary for this specific community group. The lecture hall will have to be rented to seat approximately 200 people. Moreover, an information campaign among school teachers will have to be conducted to alert them about the workshop and their opportunities to participate. School management may be approached with the request to notify teachers about the coming event and the program of the workshop may be printed on the handout to be distributed among teachers at schools and teaching communities
People Responsible for the Program Implementation
Healthcare professionals’ organizations will be responsible for staging the workshop. Since the main task of the proposed program is to educate teachers on possible ways to deal with mental issues, certain materials, and presentations will have to be prepared by the organizers to make the workshop interesting and challenging. Moreover, part of the responsibility will be delegated to the management of schools interested in the workshop so that they can effectively distribute the information about the workshop and its program to their staff.
Key Stakeholders
The key stakeholders comprise teachers who will be educated on the ways to offset stress and prevent the onset of teachers’ burnout, fight depression and other mental issues as well and find out when it is necessary to consult a doctor. School management and directors also hold a stake in the process since they are interested in having content staff able to effectively cope with their responsibilities. Healthcare professionals hold a stake in the process as the workshop provides wide opportunities for research on the prevalence of mental issues among teachers, and the reasons for depression, mood, and neurotic disorders. Also, the workshop formal will allow to get teachers’ feedback on the best ways to deal with mental issues so that healthcare professionals will be able to see what methods are more effective.
Timeline
The timeline for the workshop comprises several stages.
Stage 1 – the search and subsequent renting of a hall for approximately 100 people – one week
Stage 2 – attending healthcare professionals a lecture on the distinctive features of teachers’ work and the difficulties they face – one day
Stage 3 – the first day of the workshop – teachers and healthcare professionals discuss the peculiarities of teachers’ work that may have an impact on mental issues development, the ways to resolve difficult situations and combat stress as well as methods that can prevent the offset of teachers’ burnout.
Stage 4 – the second day of the workshop – healthcare professionals educate teachers on the symptoms of various mental states and the ways to alleviate these symptoms; the organizers and participants discuss when it may be wise to consult a doctor; each participant may get a personal consultation on his or her psychological state and the ways to improve it.
Stage 5 – three months – organizers get feedback through email on whether the methods outlined in the workshop helped teachers deal with mental issues; what measures proved to be more effective than the others and which of them did not work at all.
Budget
The budget comprises three parts: the renting of a hall for the workshop, education of healthcare professionals on the peculiarities of teachers’ jobs, and printing out handouts with the program of the event. The rent of a hall for 200 people for three hours will cost approximately 200$ a day, and about 400$ when rented for two days. Attendance of a lecture on teachers’ burnout costs 10$ from one participant. Considering the fact that seven healthcare professionals will take part in the workshop, 70$ is needed for them to attend the lecture. Printing of handouts and workshop materials – 30$. The payment to healthcare professionals for their work for two days for three hours each day is 200$. Therefore, for seven people it would add up to 1400$. Thus, the total budget amounts to 1900$.
Personnel Involvement in the Program
The personnel of the organization are healthcare professionals who deal with mental issues. Their role in the workshop is to educate teachers on the best ways to combat mental issues and the ways to prevent their development. Healthcare professionals are to educate teachers on how to effectively cope with stress, anxiety, and burnout and recognize the symptoms of mental issues that need doctors’ consultations.
The Professional Development Components of the Program
The proposed workshop contains professional development components that foster professional growth. Thus, the workshop matches existing teachers’ needs since it aims to resolve issues teachers face every day in their work. Indeed, when teachers are stressed or depressed, or experience burnout, the quality of their teaching falls which negatively on pupils’ studying (Alqassim et al. 2022). Resolving the issues of mental health improves not only teachers’ mood but also the quality of teaching. Secondly, the workshop answers existing school needs, since it helps to keep the staff and lower teachers’ rotation rate. It has been found that teachers experiencing mental issues are more likely to leave the profession, which results in teacher shortages (Manado, 2020). The workshop aims to help resolve this problem.
Thirdly, the workshop aims to improve the design of lessons in such a way as to let teachers experience less stress and anxiety. A content teacher is more eager to share knowledge than a depressed one which is why redesigning lessons can be a good idea to improve students’ academic performance. Finally, the workshop provides wide opportunities for reconsideration of one’s place in the teaching profession, helping teachers build a positive image of themselves and the professional activities they are engaged in.
Evaluation of the Success/Effectiveness of the Program
The success of the workshop will be evaluated on the basis of teachers’ feedback they provide during three months after the event. To assess the overall effectiveness, the number of teachers who report positive changes in their mood and attitude to work will be considered against those who say that the proposed measures did not help them resolve the mental issues they were experiencing. The quality of the proposed measures will also be assessed. The teachers will be asked to rank the proposed methods as very helpful/helpful/not that helpful/useless in dealing with mental issues and the states that precede them such as teachers’ burnout or constant anxiety. Based on what the teachers say, the proposed measures will be divided into groups. The most effective methods will be shared with other teacher groups in Saudi Arabia as the means to resolve mental issues across the country.
Means of Sharing the Plan with Leadership Team, Supervisors, Community Organization
The proposed plan of a workshop will be shared with supervisors and teachers’ organizations across Saudi Arabia. The plan will be discussed with the management in terms of the benefits it can bring to teachers and the medical community and the expenses the workshop suggests. If found reasonable, the organizers of the workshop will consult with the leadership team as to the best way to stage this event, so that its attendance is highly productive for teachers who are willing to engage in the project.
Conclusion
The development of the project helped me to attain program goals through engaging in interesting and challenging research work. Thus, I learned to be flexible and open to new ideas and knowledge in order to meet the constantly increasing requirements. Also, I learned ways to boost my confidence and professionalism, and now feel more self-confident than before I started this project. Now I see that all teachers experience difficulties and what is important is how one resolves them and progresses in his or her professional activity. Moreover, I grasped that learning is a never-ending process and that doing research is essential for one’s professional development. It helps to adopt diverse approaches to planning lessons and educating students so that they are never bored and a teacher attains his or her professional goals. A creative approach is necessary in order to maintain the involvement of students even in the most complex subjects.
I also learned how important it is to “disconnect” from work. Giving oneself a break from classroom activities often helps to find a new perspective on preferable teaching methods or lesson design. Moreover, it serves to alleviate the stress and anxiety teachers often experience in the classroom. Learning about mental health issues and the reasons for their emergence, I grasped the necessity to relax to stay in the profession and work effectively to provide students with the knowledge they are eager to get.
References
Ahmed, E. (2019). Depression literacy and attitudes toward seeking professional help among a sample of teachers in Jazan city, Saudi Arabia (Microform). American University ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Alhazmi, R. A., Alghadeer, S., Al-Arifi, M. N., Alamer, A. A., Mubarak, A. M., Alwhaibi, A., Alfayez, R., & Alsubaie, S. (2022). Prevalence and factors of anxiety during the Coronavirus-2019 pandemic among teachers in Saudi Arabia. Frontiers in Public Health, 10 (1), 1-7. Web.
Alqassim, A. Y., Shami, M. O., Ageeli, A. A., Ageeli, M. H., Doweri, A. A., Melaisi, Z. I., Wafi, A. M., Muaddi, M. A., & El-Setouhy, M. (2022). Burnout among school teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Jazan Region, Saudi Arabia. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. Web.
Al‐Subaie, A. S., Al‐Habeeb, A. H., & Altwaijri, Y. A. (2020). Overview of the Saudi national mental health survey. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 29(3), 1-8. Web.
Manado, J. (2020). Organizational citizenship behavior and emotional intelligence of EFL teachers in Saudi Arabia: Implications to teaching performance and Institutional Effectiveness. Arab World English Journal, 11(4), 3–14. Web.