Introduction

The Optimizing Wellness through Literacy (OWL) project aims to increase mental health literacy and coping skills in youth. It does so by teaching youth Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) skills. The author of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling, has publicly spoken about her struggles with depression, has credited CBT with helping her overcome it, and has stated that she patterned the dementor characters in the third book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, on her experience of depression.  What Rowling has not stated publicly is that she embedded CBT, the gold standard talk therapy treatment for depression and anxiety, into the book as well.  In fact, the novel can be read as an allegory for her experience and an introductory guide to CBT that can be taught by language teachers in a reading unit.  Readers follow Harry’s journey, learn along with him what it means to become depressed and, crucially, understand how he uses CBT skills to find a path to resilience.

By reading this exciting and absorbing narrative through a ‘CBT lens’ and relating to the story’s hero and author, this curriculum is intended to help youth increase their knowledge about mental health (“mental health literacy”), develop their resilience and growth mindsets, and learn strategies to cope with mental health challenges (including anxiety and depression, the two most common types of mental disorder).  The aim is for them to appreciate that some degree of psychological distress is an expected part of life and to understand that distress can be overcome with the right strategies.

While the curriculum can likely be understood by anyone over the age of about 12 years old, we suggest that the optimal time to try it is in middle school (grades 7 and 8) as that matches readers’ ages with Harry’s age in the book (13 years old) to maximize identification with the character.

School-based mental health curricula are being developed worldwide but key challenges include portability and generalizability. Harry Potter transcends geography and culture. It is available and beloved across the globe, affording educators everywhere a truly unique opportunity to use it to promote mental well-being.

This is the first comprehensive, mental health literacy and skills curriculum embedded in the study of children’s literature. It has the added advantage of promoting general literacy, critical interpretation of narratives, and love of reading. This curriculum is free to use for anyone interested in teaching young people about mental health.

Please note that we very much hope that you and your students will have fun with this material. Our pilot testing in school boards in Ontario has shown that teachers and students enjoy immersing themselves in the unit. That can include dressing up, decorating the classroom to look like settings in the book, dividing students into houses, acting out scenes, creating dioramas, and many other forms of creative expression. Talking about mental health should not be about “doom and gloom” and hopefully your lessons will reflect that.

Materials/Equipment:

Required:

Copies of book

Handouts (electronic or paper; available under each unit and under Teacher Resources ) 

Optional:

*Audio versions of text

*Copies of films

*Some teachers have found it helpful to supplement reading with audiobook and film clips during class.  While judicious use of these may enhance learning, please note that the Optimizing Wellness through Literacy (OWL) curriculum is fundamentally about literacy (i.e. general reading literacy in addition to mental health literacy) and these forms of media should not be a substitute for actually reading the book.