NYSED Mental Health Briefs VIRTUAL Series – The Role of School Leaders in Providing Mental Health Supports – (Brief #1) facilitated by Dana Brown – 9-11am

NYSED released the Mental Health briefs in honor of May Mental Health Awareness month in 2026. Our schools have been supporting mental health awareness through our MTSS frameworks and community based organizations and events throughout the years. These briefs give us an opportunity to cull some high-leverage points and actions to embed in our school activities and instructional and curricular components. Join Dana Brown, former ELA Director, current Safe & Supportive Schools Project Manager for the MHTC, interim principal & assistant principal, and consultant for specialized, day treatment & hospital-based programs, for one or all of the following sessions. While these sessions are not intended to be a thorough review of all of the briefs, we will make authentic meaning for your district out of this latest release by highlighting key implementation points. In this session, we will focus on modeling and fostering adult social emotional learning (SEL) skills, how to support our staff in communicating effectively with each other, and acting with empathy towards one another. We will also gain strategies for “setting a tone” across a building, and how to communicate plans to staff to foster cooperation. The following will also be key takeaways from this session: -Utilizing existing mental health professionals across school settings -How to recognize student distress (I.e. chronically late to class, always in the hallway) -Concepts of mental health literacy that translate into quick writing activities -Strategies and visuals for addressing substance use education -Connecting with community organizations that kids want to engage with readily -Safeguarding a climate of privacy and confidentiality, while encouraging openness -and sharing.
Flyer: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QaV7BdJn6CsmJTbz2j5QFsF7gtPd1_yd/view?usp=sharing
Registration: https://www.mylearningplan.com/WebReg/ActivityProfile.asp?D=13208&I=5453719