Minds On: Active Listening
This activity focuses on the importance of active listening, especially when someone shares a mental health struggle.

In this 6-lesson unit, students will learn to recognize signs of mental health struggle and how to be there for others.
Students will learn to recognize their limits and how to take care of their own mental health.
Students will learn the difference between a mental health struggle and crisis, how to start a conversation with someone who is struggling with their mental health, and what to do if someone is in crisis.
Students will learn how to build trust and find practical ways to help someone through their day to day life.
Students will learn what it means to be a good listener and how to balance the conversation.
Students will learn what their role is - and is not - when supporting someone and how to set boundaries to protect their relationships and their own mental health.
In this lesson, your students will learn to access professional and community resources and what to expect from them.
Request a digital mental health learning experience for your students! Our trained and certified youth speakers introduce students to the basics of mental health, how to recognize signs of struggle in themselves and their peers, and how to access mental health support.
As a follow-up to the pre-recorded Jack Talk, students have the opportunity to revisit some of the key ideas shared by the speakers. Students can consolidate their learning through discussion, reflection, and application of knowledge.
This activity focuses on the importance of active listening, especially when someone shares a mental health struggle.
In this activity, students explore what stops people from asking for help with their mental health and introduces the importance of offering support and connecting to help.
This activity focuses on the importance of active listening, especially when someone shares a mental health struggle.
Please refer to our Before You Teach guides for resources to support your practice
This activity can also be found within the lesson Golden Rule #3: Hear Them Out
This activity focuses on the importance of active listening, especially when someone shares a mental health struggle.
Note: All parts of the lesson procedure can be found in the slide deck provided.
Minds On: Active Listening Slide Deck ⤓
Golden Rule #3 | Unsolicited Advice (Again) Youtube Short ⤓
Caption: “when you vent to your friends and they start giving unsolicited advice”
Voiceover: “Thank you so much for this. Um, it was entirely unhelpful, but I thank you nevertheless.”
What message is this video trying to convey?
Have you ever experienced a situation where you just wanted someone to listen and you didn’t feel you were being heard, or that the person was more focused on telling you what to do than listening to what you wanted/needed? How did that make you feel?
Have you ever offered advice when it wasn’t asked for? How did the other person respond/receive this advice? What could you have done differently? What could you have said or done instead?
Why is active listening so important, particularly when someone is sharing a mental health struggle with you?
Minds On: Active Listening Extension Activity ⤓
If you would like to extend the Minds On activity above, you can have your students reflect upon one of the quotations below and submit a journal response or share as part of a class discussion.
Prompts (if needed):
“Sometimes all a person wants is an empathetic ear; all [they need] is to talk it out. Just offering a listening ear and an understanding heart for [their] suffering can be a big comfort.”
“There’s magic in being seen by people who understand—it gives you permission to keep going.”
“If we can share our story with someone who responds with empathy and understanding, shame can't survive.”
“The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.”
“Listening doesn't always equate to hearing.
Hearing doesn't always lead to understanding
but active listening helps each person
truly ‘see’ the other.”
Physical and Health Education 9
Mental well-being
Social and community health:
Physical Education/Health Education: Senior 2
K.4.S2.B.2a
K.4.S2.C.1a
Personal Wellness 9
Achievement Indicators
Grade 9 Health
Unit 1: Climate Building and Communication
2.1 demonstrate positive communication strategies in a variety of social situations
Healthy Active Living Education, Grade 9 (PPL1O)
C3. Making Connections for Healthy Living
C2. Making Healthy choices
Living Skils
Physical and Health Education 9
Mental well-being
Social and community health:
*Yukon schools follow the British Columbia (B.C.) curriculum, with adaptations to include Yukon content and Yukon First Nations’ ways of knowing and doing. (https://yukon.ca/en/school-curriculum)
Looking for more ways to support mental health in your area?
This is not a site for personal disclosure of mental health distress, suicidal thoughts or behaviours. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call a helpline, 9-1-1 or emergency services, or go to your nearest emergency department.
Registered Canadian Charitable Organization number: 84852 1837 RR0001
This is not a site for personal disclosure of mental health distress, suicidal thoughts or behaviours. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call a helpline, 9-1-1 or emergency services, or go to your nearest emergency department.
If someone’s thoughts or behaviours threaten the safety of themselves or others, then this is what’s called a mental health crisis. Call a helpline, 9-1-1 or emergency services. If someone has recently hurt themselves, but is no longer in danger, follow Be There’s Golden Rules and connect them to resources in their area.
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