Chapters 1-2
The Building Blocks of Mental Health
Understanding Risk & Protective Factors
Key Learning Points
Explain the purpose of the curriculum: Get students excited about reading Harry Potter because it is a fun and engaging story, but also explain that we are studying this book because Harry and his friends can teach us about resilience, a concept we will focus on in Chapters 3-4.
Get students up to speed: Many students will already be familiar with Harry Potter, but some will not. It is important to introduce the book and characters. Chapters 1-2 provide a brief synopsis of the general story to help those who have not read the first two books catch up.
Introduce key concepts: Define the keywords risk factors and protective factors. Consider what these concepts mean practically.
The following lessons invite students to reflect upon Harry Potter’s various risk and protective factors. These will form the basis of understanding “distress” and “resilience” which will be presented in Chapters 3 and 4. Additionally, students can begin to engage in self-reflection regarding their own protective factors as well as factors that may pose a “risk”.
CBT Foundations
The first step in CBT is often providing an explanation for mental disorders and how they arise. Here we will broaden that to include all forms of distress (a concept which will be described in greater detail in Chapters 3 and 4). Many personal and life circumstances can contribute to distress (we call these “risk factors”) and many can help prevent or mitigate it (we call these “protective factors”). A detailed description is provided below. It is important to understand what risk and protective factors are, to be able to identify them and to reflect on these concepts through the Harry Potter narrative and in our own lives.
Risk and Protective Factors:
A risk factor can be defined as a characteristic at the biological, psychological, family, or community (including peers and culture) level that precedes and is associated with a higher likelihood of problem outcomes.
A protective factor can be defined as a characteristic at the biological, psychological, family, or community level that is associated with a lower likelihood of problem outcomes or that reduces the negative impact of a risk factor on problem outcomes.
Some examples of risk factors that contribute to emotional distress in youth include:
Social Factors
Lack of social connections and support
Social conflict
Socioeconomic deprivation/parental unemployment
School problems, e.g., bullying, peer pressure
Parental conflict/disruptive family life
Drug or alcohol use problems
Traumatic Events
Verbal, physical or sexual abuse
Parental separation
Death of a loved one
Psychological Factors
Perfectionism
Learning Factors
Learning disability
Poor school performance
Medical/Clinical Conditions
Repeated illness/injuries
Mental health conditions
Other Acute Stressful Life Events
Involvement with criminal justice
Homelessness
Protective factors are often the mirror-image of risk factors.
They include supportive and loving social connections, healthy diet and exercise, education, housing, financial stability, a sense of purpose or meaning in life, a sense of humour, the capacity to think flexibly and hopes or goals for the future.
Everyone has a combination of risk and protective factors in varying proportions.
How are Chapters 1-2 Related to CBT?
In the first two chapters, Harry is dealing with several challenges, for example, he is stuck in his unhappy and, at times, abusive living environment; he is feeling lonely as he hasn’t heard from his wizard friends; and his aunt and uncle are unkind and threatening. These chapters are essentially an introduction to Harry’s risk factors. Some of Harry’s risk factors include:
Social Factors
Limited peer support system – Harry is not allowed to have friends growing up; he is prevented from communicating with his best friend Ron by phone
Socioeconomic deprivation – His belongings are locked up; he is given a sock for his birthday
Bullying – Dudley (and later in the book Malfoy and Snape)
Traumatic Events
Abuse – Harry is locked in a cupboard under the stairs (book 1), relegated to his room (also locked in there in book 2).
Neglect – Not acknowledged by adults
Early parental loss
Learning Factors
Perceived poor school performance – Later in the book relating to Harry’s experience with the boggart as well as divination lessons
Medical/Clinical Conditions
Medical illness - Facial scarring, repeated hospitalizations for injuries (see books 1, 2, and chapter 9 of book 3)
Acute Stressful Life Events
School problems – Harry believes he is facing expulsion
Criminal justice problems – He believes he has violated laws for underage wizards
Homelessness – He is unsure where he will go now that he has left his uncle and aunt’s home and may not be able to return to Hogwarts
Under physical threat – Voldemort, serial killer/Sirius Black
These chapters also begin to introduce Harry’s protective factors. These include: his loyal owl (Hedwig), his strong friendships with Ron and Hermione, and his natural ability and love of Quidditch, to name a few.
By the end of chapters 1-2, students will have been introduced to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, will begin to understand key concepts communicated throughout these chapters, including risk and protective factors, will understand how these concepts apply to Harry Potter, and will have begun to engage in self-reflection regarding aspects of their own experience that confer risk and protection.
Synopsis of Previous Books in the Series
Read a synopsis of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets to your students.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone begins with Harry Potter, a shy and self-doubting boy wizard being brought up by his awful aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon along with his mean cousin Dudley. Dudley has lived the life of an ordinary kid, whereas Harry is treated like a servant. Harry has a lightening-shaped scar on his forehead which, according to his aunt and uncle, he got in a car crash when he was a baby in which his parents died. But the truth is that he received the scar after an attack by the evil and powerful wizard Voldemort known as “You-Know-Who” who killed Harry’s parents. Harry is also a wizard but he does not know it yet. The Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft & Wizardry left Harry with his uncle and aunt after this awful incident and have been waiting until he is of age to attend the Hogwarts school. Harry receives a letter inviting him to enroll at the school on his 11th birthday.
After a struggle with his uncle and aunt, he enters the school with the help of the school’s half-giant gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid. In the book, Harry learns the benefits and perils of being a wizard along with his new friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Harry begins to explore the magical world and embarks on a quest to find the Philosopher’s Stone which can be used to brew an elixir that makes the drinker immortal. Lord Voldemort seeks the Stone as he is weakened and hopes to use it to return to full strength. At the end of the book, Harry defeats Lord Voldemort and the Philosopher’s Stone is destroyed.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The series continues with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, a sequel which describes Harry’s second year at Hogwarts. The plot arc is similar following Harry over a school year at Hogwarts. Ron’s younger sister Ginny finds a diary that belonged to Lord Voldemort during his school days. She reads about a “Chamber of Secrets” which is a hidden room deep within a castle from which an ancient monster emerges. The monster attacks children at Hogwarts school. The novel delves into the history of Hogwarts and the tale of the Chamber. Harry comes to know more about his world, his ability to speak the language of the snakes (a rare dark art), and secrets about Lord Voldemort. The book ends with Harry fighting the monster, saving Ginny and destroying the diary.
Core Lesson Plan - Risk and Protective Factors
Duration: 1-2 sessions (session~50 mins)
Chapter 1 & 2
Lesson Objectives
To define risk and protective factors using both student thoughts and technical terms.
Risk factors – discussion of factors that may make people more likely to become sad, worried or afraid, which include peer and family conflict, mistreatment, lack of support system, school difficulties, homelessness, legal problems.
Protective factors – discussion of factors that help people overcome life’s difficulties, which include supportive and loving social connections, education, stable housing, character strengths, hopes and goals for the future.
Summary of Tasks/Actions
Suggested Actions:
Prior to teaching this lesson, read the introductory chapter on CBT and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and ensure that you feel comfortable with the principles of CBT and how they relate to the book (if not, seek help from colleagues and/or mental health professionals at your school board)
Introduce the curriculum and why it is being offered.
Ensure, briefly, that students are “up to speed” with the general content of the first two books (see attached synopsis for your reference which you may share).
Read Chapter 1 and 2 of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban either during class or as a homework assignment in preparation.
Students to complete core exercise (Harry’s Risk Factors / Protective Factors) in class (may also be assigned as homework)
Student homework (My Risk Factors / Protective Factors; note this exercise is intended as a personal reflection not to be shared with the teacher or peers. Some students may opt to complete it relating to someone they know rather than themselves.)
Lesson Planning:
Discuss risk factors that may relate to your students (brainstorm, questions on board, be as creative as you can)
Generate a list of risk and protective factors for Harry, using pen and paper format, digitally, and/or group brainstorm utilizing vertical spaces
Download Entire Lesson Plan Student Activities Teacher Answer Key Guiding Questions
Core Lesson Plan with activities Exercise 1 - Risk and Protective Exercise 1 - Answer Key Unit 1: Guiding Questions
Optional Lesson Plan and Activities
The following lesson plans and activities are optional. You may download the full set of optional lesson plans, activities, and chapter questions. Alternatively, you can download each activity or worksheet separately.
Entire Set of Optional Activities