School Mental Health: Treating Students K-12

Students of all ages continue to struggle with increased mental health issues since the pandemic upended the world. According to a CDC 2021 survey, 42% of adolescent students felt persistently sad and 22% seriously considered attempting suicide. The U.S. Surgeon General has further emphasized the issue's urgency with his recent report on the youth loneliness crisis. Our children and teens are crying out for help, and those who work with school-aged youth must stay current with the latest knowledge and skills that will enhance the emotional well-being of our students.

This course is designed to meet those needs and offer participants practical strategies with a mix of lecture, case studies, interactive panels and Q&A. Topics will cover resilience, risk assessment related to suicide and extremism, trauma awareness, social justice and immigrant supports; perfectionism, school avoidance and pediatric emergencies; while attending compassionately to ourselves and our colleagues.

Participants will complete the course with practical and timely clinical information and skills based on emerging research, evidence-based practice and innovative learning strategies. And this year we are excited to now offer two options of format: in person or online livestream.

We welcome all mental health and health clinicians, educators, school administrators, researchers, and others interested in the development and treatment of school-aged children and adolescents.

Who Should Attend

• Primary Care Providers
• Specialty Physicians
• Nurses
• Psychologists
• Counselors
• Social Workers
• Family Therapists

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Summarize how clinicians and educators can establish an environment of social justice and resilience for students of diverse racial and gender/sexual identities.
• Articulate the foundational skills of motivational interviewing (MI) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to identify and treat perfectionism or other mental health issues.
• Review how to address suicidal ideation, pediatric mental health emergencies, the symptoms of trauma, stressors for migrant and refugee students, and risk in the development of extremist ideologies in students.
• Outline brain and behavior mechanisms of irritability and cognitive flexibility in children.
• Summarize how creative applications of one's area of expertise can help reduce the risk of burnout and improve career satisfaction.

For a list of session-specific learning objectives, email cme@challiance.org

ABMS/ACGME Competencies

This course is designed to meet the following American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) / Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Educational (ACGME) competencies:

• Interpersonal and Communication Skills
• Patient Care and Procedural Skills
• Medical Knowledge

IOM Competencies

This course is designed to meet the following Institute of Medicine Core Competencies:

• Provide Patient-Centered Care
• Employ Evidence-Based Practice

Questions?

Please contact the Continuing Education Programs with any questions by email at ceprograms@hms.harvard.edu or phone at (617) 384-8600.

Charles Barrett, PhD, NCSP

School Psychologist
Assistant Director, Internship Supervisor, and Chair, Committee on Diversity for Loudoun County Public Schools' APA-Accredited Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology
Co-Chair, Social Justice Task Force and African American Subcommittee, and Chair, Multicultural Affairs and Social Justice Committees, National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)

Landon Callahan

Lead Trainer, Safe Schools Program for LGBTQ Students

Aaronson Chew, PhD, MSCP

Founder, Growth Proof LLC
Instructor in Psychiatry, Full-Time, Harvard Medical School

Jessica Chock-Goldman, DSW, LCSW

Director of Clinical Services/Social Worker, Bard High School Early College Manhattan
Adjunct Professor, NYU Silver School of Social Work
Adjunct Professor, Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College

Reece Dahlberg

Parent

Daniel Dickstein, MD, FAAP

Chief and Director of Research, Nancy and Richard Simches Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Hall-Mercer Endowed Chair in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Director, The PediMIND Program, McLean Hospital; Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

Judith Herman, MD

Professor of Psychiatry (Part-Time), Harvard Medical School
Former Director of Training, Victims of Violence Program, Cambridge Health Alliance

Maryam Khodadoust, PsyD

Clinical Psychologist in private practice

Myrieme Nadri-Churchill, MEd

Executive Director, Parents for Peace

Peggy Orenstein

Best-Selling Author and Magazine Contributor

Vanja Pejic, PhD

Attending Psychologist, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Boston Children's Hospital
Instructor in Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

Jeff Perrotti, PhD

Founding Director, Safe Schools Program for LGBTQ Students

Zheala Qayyum, MD, MMSc

Attending Psychiatrist, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Medical Director, Emergency Psychiatry Service
Training Director, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program, Boston Children's Hospital
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Assistant Professor Adjunct of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine

Sara Romero, PhD

Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Jessica Stern, PhD

Senior Preparedness Fellow, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Research Professor, Boston University Pardee School of Global Studies
Member, Homeland Security Experts Group; Fellow, The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft

Ariel Sternberg, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow and Project Director of the Youth FIRST Study in the Lab for Youth Mental Health, Harvard University Department of Psychology

Wes Woodson

Lived Experience Advocate
Biography

Kerry-Ann Williams, MD

Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychiatrist
Medical Director, Massachusetts Children's Residential Programming, Justice Resource Institute
Lecturer on Psychiatry, Part-Time, Harvard Medical School

Course Directors

Harvard Medical School Continuing Education attracts the best and brightest faculty from all around the world. As a student in this course, you’ll have access to outstanding course directors and faculty.

Nancy Rappaport, MD

Consultant, School-Based Programs, Cambridge Health Alliance
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Part-Time, Harvard Medical School

Christopher Willard, PsyD

Psychologist and Educational Consultant
Teaching Associate in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

Karen Kuc, MPH

Director, Continuing Education in Psychiatry, Cambridge Health Alliance​​​
Associate in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

Accreditation

In support of improving patient care, Harvard Medical School is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Physicians

The Harvard Medical School designates this live activity for a maximum of 14.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s) ™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Psychologists

The Cambridge Health Alliance, Psychiatry Continuing Education Division, is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Cambridge Health Alliance, Psychiatry Continuing Education Division, maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This course offers 14.00 continuing education credits.

Social Workers

This program has been approved for a total of 14 Social Work Continuing Education hours for re-licensure, in accordance with 258 CMR. NASW-MA Chapter CE Approval Program Authorization Number D 92074-3. NY Social Workers: The Division of Continuing Education in Psychiatry at Cambridge Health Alliance is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an Approved Provider #0038 of continuing education for licensed social workers. This course has been approved for 14.00 contact hours.

Counselors

The Cambridge Health Alliance, Psychiatry Continuing Education Division, has been approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) as an approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5444. This program meets the requirements for 14.00 continuing education hours. CHA is solely responsible for all aspects of the program. This offering is also applicable for Commonwealth of Massachusetts Counseling/Allied Mental Health accreditation for 14.00 credits.

Family Therapists

This activity has been certified by New England Association for Family and Systemic Therapy on behalf of the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Allied Mental Health and Human Services Professions, for LMFT professional continuing education, Certificate #PC- 042069 (In-person) and #PC-042070 (Livestream) for a total of 14.0 contact hours. The States of CT and RI accept NBCC and NASW approval for marriage and family therapy.

Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners and Registered Nurses

For the purpose of recertification, the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board and the American Nurses Credentialing Center accept AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ issued by organizations accredited by the ACCME. We would also suggest that learners check with their state licensing board to ensure they accept reciprocity with AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for re-licensure.

Canadian Accreditation

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada recognizes conferences and workshops held outside of Canada that are developed by a university, academy, hospital, specialty society or college as accredited group learning activities.

European Accreditation

The American Medical Association (AMA) has an agreement of mutual recognition of continuing medical education (CME) credit with the European Union of Medical Specialties (UEMS). Additional information regarding this agreement may be found here.

Disclosure Policy

Harvard Medical School (HMS) adheres to all ACCME Accreditation Criteria and Policies. It is HMS's policy that those who have influenced the content of a CME activity (e.g. planners, faculty, authors, reviewers and others) disclose all relevant financial relationships with commercial entities so that HMS may identify and resolve any conflicts of interest prior to the activity. These disclosures will be provided in the activity materials along with disclosure of any commercial support received for the activity. Additionally, faculty members have been instructed to disclose any limitations of data and unlabeled or investigational uses of products during their presentations.

Disclaimer

CME activities accredited by Harvard Medical School are offered solely for educational purposes and do not constitute any form of certification of competency. Practitioners should always consult additional sources of information and exercise their best professional judgment before making clinical decisions of any kind.

Hotel Reservations

Fairmont Copley Plaza
138 St. James Avenue
Boston, MA 02116

A block of rooms for the nights of January 25th, 26th, and 27th 2024 has been reserved at the hotel for this event, under the group name Cambridge Health Alliance.

All reservations must be made, modified, or canceled individually through the hotel’s Reservation Department via this link (https://book.passkey.com/go/CHASchoolMentalHealth2024) or by calling 1-800-441-1414 and referring to Group Name. Reservations for rooms accessible to guests with disabilities may be made in the same manner.

Reservations must be made on or before January 1, 2024 to guarantee the CHA group rate.

Hotel confirms the following guest room rates per night:

$199 Moderate Room

$209 Fairmont Room (Single or double-bedded)

$249 Deluxe Room

Guest room rates are exclusive of applicable taxes and service fees.