Student Mental Health Awareness Week

A Trusted Space, the Series, is a free, easy to access film and curriculum resource available to educators, students, and families. Part of the CalHOPE Schools Initiative, these resources offer ingenious support to counselors, not only in their own work with students and staff but also for use as catalysts to bring those resistant to change along. Our work as counselors calls for us to lead our school communities to outcomes that serve the whole student, which in these divisive times this can be challenging. A Trusted Space, the series, can make it easier. 

• Presenter: Lori Woodley-Langendorff is the founder and CEO of All It Takes 

 Join Dr. Amir Whitaker and students from ACLU’s Youth Liberty Squad (YLS) for this 1-hour webinar as they share their experiences and discuss school-based mental health as a civil rights issue. In this session, students will share personal experiences, stigma reduction campaigns, and some of the findings from their wellness survey. Participants will learn from the panelists about the best ways to support youth in schools. 

• Presenter: Dr. Amir Whitaker is senior policy counsel with the ACLU of Southern California 

• PowerPoint Slides 

 Learn about how an unprecedented reform landscape in California for youth mental health is impacting and centering schools.  Learn the architecture of Medi-Cal, and how new money is flowing to schools for new types of services provided by new types of providers. Specifically, we will review how managed care plans work with schools to co-locate community-based providers and provide new opportunities for school staff.   We will dive deep into the new All Payor Fee Schedule and discuss new opportunities to enhance services to both the Medicaid and commercially insured children of California. 

• Presenter:  Alex Briscoe is the Principal of California Children’s Trust and former director of the Alameda County Health Care Services Agency. 

• PowerPoint Slides 

• www.cachildrenstrust.org

• About Us – California Children's Trust

• History & Impact – California Children's Trust 

In this impactful session, the California Association of School Counselors Committee for Social Justice, Equity, and Anti-Racism (SJEA) will discuss the release of the innovative "Toolkit for Social Justice, Equity, and Anti-Racism." This resource is designed to support school counselors and educators in embracing crucial concepts of social justice, equity, and anti-racism in their K-12 classroom teachings. Participants will receive access to the digital version of the "Toolkit for Social Justice, Equity, and Anti-Racism 

• Panel Facilitator: Tiffany Le, M.S. P.P.S. (She/Her) is a high school counselor working in Orange County, California. 

• Other Panelists: Brandon Castro, Brandon Gernux, Arianna Townsend, Christiana Cobb-Dozier, Zeyda A. Garcia, Tamara Nabulsi, Gisselle Mandujano, Aliea Coston, Ed.D, Lavernis Martin,  

Muna Osisioma  

• Is there such a thing as too much empathy? If so, how do we find out if we're there? 

Unpacking these important questions is critical for sustainability and self-care as a school counselor. 

This interactive workshop guides attendees through a time for reflection and self-assessment to best care for ourselves as we support our students and families. 

• Presenter: Jeremiah Aja is a licensed therapist and serves as the Executive Communications Director for the national nonprofit Wellness Together, Inc. 

• PowerPoint Slides 

• Book Requests

 Early intervention is about providing early and timely intervention as close to the time when a student’s need emerges. Too often services are reactive and treatment-heavy with limited success. When there is a lack of screening and a weak Tier 2 system of support, many students look like they need more intensive support. This presentation will focus on how to implement effective screening to proactively detect students with a need for mental health support. In addition, educators will understand how to implement a Tier 2 system of support from beginning to end including how to match support to the root cause that explains why a student’s need exists. 

• Presenter: Dr. Clay Cook is the Chief Development Officer at CharacterStrong and is an implementation scientist, psychologist, and former paraprofessional and middle school math teacher. 

• PowerPoint Slides 

Part of the California Youth Behavioral Health Initiative is to fund programs to support behavioral health.  BrightLife Kids is a program for children aged 0-12 and their families – and it's completely free!  

Three Main Components of this program include:

• Digital tools
• Live coaching sessions
•  Care coordination

Participants will learn about the program features including the enrollment process. They will also learn about how TK-8 grade schools can access this resource for students and caregiver  

• Presenters:  Irene Biscante, NBC-HWC, is the Vice President of Coaching at Brightline, Inc., and a nationally board-certified health and wellness coach and behavior change specialist. 

Jennifer La Guardia, Ph.D,  is the Vice President of Care Innovation at Brightline, Inc. and leads mental health innovation. 

• Other Presenters: Malissa Watts, Community Engagement Manager