Peer-reviewed open access journal Vol. 15 • Issue 2

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Journal of Behavioral Health and Psychology

A modern publishing platform for behavioral health research, mental health scholarship, and interdisciplinary evidence shared through an open, online-first model.

Open Access Peer Reviewed Behavioral Health

Current publishing cycle

Volume 15

Issue 2 • 2026-04

2.809 Impact factor
Open Access model

Article details

Integral Well-Being Education for Mental Health Promotion: An Eight-Dimensional Preventive Framework for Behavioral Health and Human Flourishing

Ignacio Bonasa Alzuria

Abstract

Mental health has become one of the defining public health challenges of the twenty-first century. The global burden of mental disorders, the persistence of treatment gaps, the social and economic consequences of distress, and the growing complexity of digital, occupational, relational, and financial stressors all indicate that clinical response alone is insufficient. This article proposes Integral Well-Being Education as a preventive, multidimensional, and human-centered framework for mental health promotion, behavioral health, and human flourishing. The article is structured as a conceptual review and framework paper based on a purposive synthesis of literature from global mental health, positive psychology, behavioral health, lifestyle medicine, social determinants of health, arts and health, workplace wellbeing, financial stress, and digital well-being. The proposed framework organizes well-being education into eight interdependent dimensions: body, thought, emotions, transcendence and meaning, social relationships, professional and vocational life, financial balance, and technology and digital life. The article argues that these dimensions constitute teachable domains of preventive mental health literacy and behavioral competence. The model is not presented as a substitute for psychiatric, psychological, or medical care; rather, it is proposed as a complementary educational architecture capable of strengthening protective factors, reducing behavioral vulnerability, supporting self-regulation, and promoting more coherent life habits across educational, organizational, community, and public health settings. The paper clarifies the model’s theoretical contribution, differentiates it from established flourishing frameworks, proposes implementation pathways, identifies evaluation indicators, and discusses ethical safeguards and future research directions. Its central thesis is that mental health promotion requires not only services for illness, but also education for living: an integral, evidence-informed, and culturally adaptable approach that helps people develop the competencies needed to live with greater awareness, balance, dignity, connection, purpose, and responsibility.