Presented by Rebecca M. Langan, MSW, Principal, Langan and Associates, LLC; Dr. Alisa Smiley-Rudolph, Mental Health and Truancy Coordinator, Selma City Schools (AL); and Dr. Elsa Friis, Head of Mental Health, Alongside
Sponsored by Alongside
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With ESSER funds going away and the U.S. Surgeon General urging increasingly bold action to address factors contributing to the youth mental health crisis, now is the time for schools to reframe student needs through the lens of public health. In this edWebinar, government affairs and youth advocacy expert Rebecca Langan guides viewers in exploring their current student support needs through a Social Determinants of Health framework.
Viewers:
The session includes a case study from Dr. Alisa Smiley-Rudolph who shares how Selma City Schools is funding new student support initiatives at a time when Alabama is among the states most deeply impacted by the ESSER cliff. With guidance from the presenters, viewers develop their own set of talking points on how national trends pertain to their communities. These can be used to build stakeholder buy-in and secure grants and other funding to support students in the 2024-25 school year and beyond.
This recorded edWebinar is of interest to school and district leaders of all grade levels, as well as district- and school-based student support services, SEL and mental health leads, counselors, and social workers.
About the Presenters
Rebecca M. Langan is Principal at Langan & Associates, LLC, a boutique public affairs firm specializing in government relations, strategic communications, and advocacy. She holds over 25 years of experience in the human service sector, working directly with providers, educators, and elected officials, to advance the complex and dynamic needs of learning communities.
Dr. Alisa Smiley-Rudolph, a native of Selma, Alabama, is the District Mental Health and Truancy Coordinator for Selma City Schools. She supports students with social and emotional learning and collaborates with counselors, principals, teachers, and parents. Dr. Smiley-Rudolph also fosters partnerships with local community agencies.
She holds a Bachelor of Science from The University of Alabama, a Master of Science in clinical child psychology from the University of South Alabama, and a Doctor of Education in counseling psychology from Argosy University. With over 18 years of mental health experience, she has worked as a mental health therapist, in-home therapist, and youth and family mental health director. Dr. Smiley-Rudolph is a certified Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor and promotes trauma-informed practices and teacher self-care across the district. In her personal life, she enjoys singing and spending time with family, church members, and friends.
Elsa Friis, Ph.D., MSc-GH is a licensed psychologist, researcher, and behavioral health advocate who specializes in utilizing technology to expand access to youth mental health support. She firmly believes in co-creating products in partnership with the youth and stakeholders who will utilize them. She received her MS in global health and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Duke University where she leveraged human-centered design to develop an app to support the implementation of a family therapy intervention in Kenya. She has published over 20 peer-reviewed articles on the co-development, adaptation, and implementation of culturally salient youth interventions in the U.S. and globally. She is currently the Head of Mental Health at Alongside Care where she leads the clinical development of a social-emotional learning program for middle and high school students.
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Alongside is a web-based mental health app that provides tier 1 mental health prevention and early intervention support to K-12 students. Alongside is self-directed and available 24/7 in 36 languages, allowing students to get the help they need when they need it. Students can learn over 125 clinical strategies that are foundational for building mental health resilience across social, emotional, and behavioral domains. In addition, students receive immediate support through engaging with Alongside’s chatbot and in-app resources, created by a team of doctoral mental health experts and directly informed by evidenced-based clinical models. The founders of Alongside previously founded Actively Learn, a K-12 digital curriculum company which was acquired by McGraw Hill in 2021. Learn more by visiting www.alongside.care.