Session 2 of 3 in the "Championing Students Through Change: Welcoming Youth Transitioning To and From School" Series (view series page for full details)

In this second session, Amanda Lipp will focus on trauma-sensitive and culturally responsive strategies for welcoming students back to school from hospitalization. This session will equip you with the tools and knowledge needed to create nurturing environments that uplift students and foster their resilience as they navigate these significant transitions.

We'll explore practical strategies for supporting students transitioning to and from programs and institutions, and provide participants with the skills to promote a sense of belonging and resilience among students during these pivotal times. Key questions we'll address include:

• How can school staff prepare themselves and students to welcome youth back from institutional settings?
• What unique challenges do students face when returning to school?
• What unique strengths do students bring to us as school leaders when returning to their school?

Join us to build your capacity to champion students through times of transition. Whether you're an educator, administrator, school mental health professional, or youth advocate, you'll walk away with deepened empathy, practical tools, and a network of support. 

Meet the Faculty 

Amanda Lipp (she/they)

Amanda Lipp serves as a Training & Technical Assistance Specialist with the Center for Applied Research Solutions and the Pacific Southwest MHTTC and is a filmmaker, multimedia artist, and speaker working at the intersection of mental health care, storytelling, and technology. Ms. Lipp has created over 100 short documentary films and educational comic books elevating complex mental health and social impact topics like youth psychosis, mass trauma, recreation therapy, and alternative living. As a passionate advocate, Ms. Lipp has delivered over 150 workshops and keynotes sharing mental health resources, films, and her own personal story. She currently serves on the Mental Health Advisory Panel at Google, and the Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Committee (ISMICC) created by Congress to advise on federal policy. Ms. Lipp formerly served as the youngest board member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Amanda graduated from UC Davis with a B.S. in Human Development. Ms. Lipp identifies with the LGBTQ community, and has passion for social awareness, and systems access for this population. 

Meet the Panelists

Erin Hughes, MSW, PPSC (she/her)

Erin Hughes is a school based social worker who has spent her career working with adolescents in San Francisco. For the past 17 years, she has been the Wellness Coordinator at June Jordan School for Equity, a small social justice high school in the Excelsior neighborhood. Her work primarily focuses on supporting the well-being of students and families through mental health services, case management, crisis prevention and intervention, and health education. Erin uses a trauma informed, strength based approach in her work with students that centers harm reduction and empowerment. She believes that harm reduction is a powerful approach to use with adolescents because it is rooted in justice and human rights, meets clients where they are at, honors their voice and choice, and aligns with their developmental needs.

Olivia P Hamrah, MD (she/her)

Olivia Hamrah, MD, is a child and adolescent psychiatrist at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. She works with emerging adults in the Launch Clinic, Child and Adolescent Outpatient Clinic, and in school-based mental health through the MedStar Center for Wellbeing in School Environments (WISE). Her clinical and research focus is in early and first episode psychosis including the prevention of psychosis, treatment of clinical high-risk for psychosis, CBT for psychosis, and medication management of those experiencing a first episode of psychosis. Dr. Hamrah completed her fellowship training at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. She completed her adult psychiatry training at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and medical school at Georgetown University School of Medicine. Prior to her medical training, Dr. Hamrah earned a BA in Physics and a BS in Chemistry at the University of Virginia and taught middle school physics and math at a public charter school in Washington, DC.