A flagship moment on this theme
"While Covid really accentuated these problems, Covid wasn't the start of this trend. In terms of a lot of statistics that are available for tracking students mental health, we had been seeing a decline almost at the start of a decline almost a decade before COVID came at us in 2020."
Reframes the student mental health crisis as structural rather than pandemic-caused — a more useful and honest frame for clinicians who have been treating the downstream effects for years and know the demand did not appear from nowhere.
Where this is a central topic
2 episodes
Policy Shifts in School Mental Health with Matthew Stone
The central topic throughout: how federal grant terminations and the relaunched competition with a narrowed scope affect students' access to mental health services inside schools.
Trauma-Informed Design for Safer Schools | Kerri Brady of Huckabee
Schools are the primary setting throughout: cafeterias as dysregulation hotspots, educator-student relationships as resilience factors, school design as a mental health lever.
Where this comes up substantially
4 episodes
Building a Mental Health System That Works with Sue Abderholden
Sue describes Minnesota's school-linked model in detail, emphasizing the firewall between education and mental health records and the continuity advantage over school-delivered services.
Grief Counseling in a Natural Setting | Kaili Van Waveren of ThorpeWood
The ecotherapy pilot with Frederick County Public Schools targeting chronically absent students with anxiety is described in detail, with outcome data strong enough that the county is expanding the program to every middle school.
The Power Of Partnerships In Creating A Safer Community | Katie Cashman of Change the Conversation
The bulk of the organization's prevention work runs through school districts, with classroom presentations on grooming, bystander intervention, and internet safety as a primary program model.
Neurodiversity and Unleashing the Brilliance Within | Erica Whitfield of Positive Development
Erica's origin story comes directly from 10 years in school-based mental health programs, and she is currently running teacher trainings on neurodivergent-friendly classrooms as an extension of her practice work.
Mentions
4 episodes
Mentions
4 episodes
Reconnecting with Hawaiian Heritage | Lohelani Furtardo-Gaspar of Ka`ehu
Lohe describes plans to bring programming directly into schools and mentions a visit to Lahaina High School during the one-year fire anniversary, but expansion into schools is still nascent.
Transforming Stress Into Art | Emily Twynham and Samira Butt of Mediate and Create
Both founders explicitly name schools as a primary target setting, drawing a parallel to how mindfulness entered UK classrooms and arguing that five minutes of daily practice could shift children's behavior patterns.
Making Self-Help Resources Accessible to All | Diana Partington of the Book, DBT for Life
Rachel and Diana briefly discuss the idea of teaching DBT skills as life skills in elementary through high school, and Diana notes researchers are actively working on this.
How Neurofeedback Can Improve Brain Health | Mary Ammerman of the Institute for Applied Neuroscience
Mary mentions Goldie Hawn's Mind Up curriculum as a model for teaching nervous system literacy in schools from kindergarten through high school.
Looking to go deeper in your own work?
These TSTI trainings build on conversations from the episodes above.