Students are reporting overall mental health decline, including increases in anxiety and persistent sadness. Aligning school-based mental health supports within existing structures and building skills of educators can increase access to evidence-based interventions. This session will highlight: best practices in school-based mental health; specific function-based interventions at the classroom, group, and individual levels; and access to free resources from the Mid-America MHTTC.

Presented by:

Hannah West, PhD, BCBA, is a regional trainer for the Mid-America MHTTC and behavioral health provider at Sunflower Pediatric Behavioral Health in Shawnee, Kansas. Dr. West is passionate about assisting schools and districts at the systems level through consultation and coaching to match student academic, behavioral and mental health needs with resources available through the development of multi-tiered systems of support. As a trainer for the National Association of School Psychologists’ (NASP) PREPaRE curriculum, she is also passionate about working with schools to implement best-practice prevention, intervention, and postvention supports related to school crises. Dr. West received her doctorate in school psychology from Oklahoma State University. Her doctoral training and research focused on child and adolescent assessment and treatment, as well as working within the systems and environments they live to match resources to needs.

Jessica Christensen, M.Ed, holds a bachelor’s degree in Secondary English Education and a master’s in Education. With over a decade of middle school teaching experience, she moved from the classroom to the non-profit sector. Following the conclusion of Please Pass the Love in May 2023, she transitioned from Please Pass the Love to a full-time role at MHTTC. Jessica offers valuable insights to enhance mental well-being in education, empowering educators, and guiding districts to strengthen their mental health frameworks.

Learn more about our School Mental Health program.