According to international epidemiological findings it is estimated that worldwide 10 to 20% of children and adolescents suffer from mental health problems (Kieling et al., 2007). It is widely known that poor mental health is substantially associated with a wide range of other health and developmental problems and show high persistency over the entire lifespan (Leadbeater et al., 2012). Moreover, with regard to schools, longitudinal findings demonstrate that mental health problems can have a negative impact on educational outcomes such as school grades, school attendance or school completion (Dadaczynski, 2012). Given these findings, schools have long been identified as ideal settings for health promotion and prevention measures. Despite great variety concerning the evidence base, effective interventions focus e.g. on a positive concept of health, use a whole-school approach, operate over a longer time period and are linked with aca-demic learning (Weare & Nind, 2011). Based on these findings, this paper aims to introduce MindMatters as an example for a whole-school approach on mental health promotion and prevention. Originally developed in Australia, the German adaptation of MindMatters addresses students as well as teaching and non-teaching staff within and outside the school environment. MindMatters is theoretically routed in resource-orientated concepts which describe mental health as the balance between internal and external needs and resources. As a whole school approach it encourages respect and tolerance in the classroom and aims to develop a supportive school environment, as well as net-works/partnerships between schools and their external environments, thereby contributing to better learning and teaching (Franze & Paulus, 2009). Since its adoption in 2002, MindMat-ters has been continually developed further now encompassing seven modules on individual level aspects of mental health (e.g. stress & coping, social emotional learning) and three modules on school development which covers grade 1 to 13. In addition to the interventions goals and content, the presentation will give an overview on evaluation and dissemination results.

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