Supporting Students’ Mental Health Needs

Presented by Dr. Brenda Curtis, Chief, Technology and Translational Research Unit, NIDA; Jay Matthews, Community Impact Specialist, EVERFI; and Jessie Fox, M.Ed., Director of K12 Community Engagement, EVERFI

Sponsored by EVERFI

Watch the Recording

Closed captioning will be added to the recording within 2 weeks of the live presentation. Get a CE Certificate for this edWebinar Learn more.

Stress has been linked to substance use, and if someone has a hard time coping with stress, it may play a role in their use of drugs or alcohol. Teens can learn to use healthy coping strategies to help build resilience in response to challenging circumstances and events. With a global pandemic still ongoing and a less-than-normal school year, it’s more important than ever to equip our students with resources and strategies to care for their wellbeing.

In this edWebinar, you hear from NIDA’s Brenda Curtis, Ph.D., MSPH to learn more about the evolving challenges teens are facing and what research tells us can help you to meet your students’ needs. Additionally, you walk away with tangible, standards-aligned, free resources that support students’ mental health through prevention education.

This recorded edWebinar is of interest to teachers and school and district leaders of the middle and high school levels.

About the Presenters

Dr. Brenda Curtis’ research focus is translational, leveraging social media and big data methodology to form the development, evaluation, and implementation of technology-based tools that address substance use and related conditions such as HIV/AIDS. Understanding techniques people use to gather information online and how that information is processed has influenced her development of a web-based smoking cessation intervention; an online adolescent screening, brief information, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) program; and an adolescent safer sex and pregnancy prevention intervention CD-ROM. Dr. Curtis employs multiple methodologies to facilitate the flow of scientific discovery to practical application allowing her to not only reach underserved populations, but to design health monitoring and behavioral change interventions that are user centered, inclusive, and evidence based. Dr. Curtis has a Ph.D. in health communication, Annenberg School for Communication, from the University of Pennsylvania. She also holds an MSPH from the University of Illinois.

Jay Matthews has worked in education for over 10 years as a PreK lead teacher, scholarship advisor/financial aid officer, undergraduate instructor and 4H cooperative extension agent. She’s a three-time Auburn University graduate (bachelor’s in mass communication ‘09, M.Ed. in instructional technology ‘13, and Ed.S. in adult education ‘15). Fun fact: she happens to be the ultimate crafter/DIY’er. As EVERFI’s Community Impact Specialist, Jay supports educator groups with free resources, easy-to-implement classroom ideas, and lifelong connections.

Jessie Fox, M.Ed. has been in education for the past 13 years as both a teacher and a coach. She now works as EVERFI’s Director of K12 Community Engagement from her home base in Portland, Oregon, where she connects educator communities with relevant, no-cost resources for their classrooms. Jessie is thrilled to bring educators together around a common goal of gifting students with real-world skills, and provides free access to engaging content around diversity, equity and inclusion, digital wellness, STEM, health and wellness, social-emotional learning, and financial literacy. Jessie also hosts free bi-weekly webinars, along with EVERFI’s free flagship summer educator conference, LearnOn.

Closed captioning will be added to the recording within 2 weeks of the live presentation.

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From grade school through retirement, EVERFI’s free digital education curriculums empower learners of all ages to make safe, smart, and informed decisions. We bring together the public and private sectors so K-12 teachers can equip today’s learners with the skills they need to become tomorrow’s leaders.