Classroom Education

Now Approved: Erika’s Lighthouse Staff Training Added to SPRC Best Practices Registry

For school administrators, counselors, and educators, managing the youth mental health crisis is one of the most serious challenges faced in classrooms today. Fifty percent...

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Signs & Symptoms of Adolescent Depression

Adolescent depression is real, serious and treatable. However, adolescence is a time of major changes, both physically and emotionally. That may make it difficult to...

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How Can Schools Celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month in May?

What is the Positivity Pledge? The Positivity Pledge is a schoolwide awareness campaign by Erika’s Lighthouse designed for Mental Health Awareness Month in May. It is a...

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How Can Schools Become “Sources of Strength” for Youth Mental Health?

Building a Culture of Care in Your School Community Every student deserves good mental health, but achieving this requires more than just a single lesson—it requires a...

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The Landscape of School Mental Health Today

The current landscape of school-based mental health services is facing a “perfect storm.” While student needs are rising, schools are battling...

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Mental Health Literacy in 2026: Building a Sanctuary of Support

The Evolution of Mental Health Literacy It is 2026, and the definition of a “mentally healthy school” has deepened. While we once focused heavily on simply identifying...

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The Future of Staff Training is Here: Revolutionizing Mental Health Conversations with AI

We are on the brink of a new era in school mental health, and Erika’s Lighthouse is leading the charge. We are thrilled to unveil a...

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Welcome, ShineLightonDepression.org Visitors! Find All Your Familiar Resources (And More) Here.

Welcome to the Source If you were trying to visit ShineLightonDepression.org, you’ve landed in the right place. While that website will shut down at the...

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Erika’s Lighthouse ’23-’24 Program Report

Erika’s Lighthouse releases an annual program report to highlight the impact that our programs have made in schools nationwide with our Level II and Level III...

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School Refusal: When Your Child Doesn’t Want to Go to School Due to Depression

It is not uncommon for a child or teen with depression to avoid or refuse to go to school. Inability or reluctance to wake up and get dressed in the morning,...

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Program Evaluation Surveys and Their Impact

What program evaluations are included in Erika’s Lighthouse Resources?Erika’s Lighthouse classroom education programs each come with the option to utilize...

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Enlighten Learning Management System

Erika’s Lighthouse Enlighten Learning Management System is preparing school communities around mental health. We offer a variety of course selections and hope that...

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Self-Referral Cards

One of the important aspects of a tier 1 program according to Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS) is that it connects students to support and offers a referral...

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Becoming Sources of Strength with Erika’s Lighthouse

Sources of Strength in a School Community Erika’s Lighthouse offers a variety of free resources that can help educators, families, staff and students serve...

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Mental Health Literacy in Schools

Erika’s Lighthouse is a beacon of hope for schools seeking to create inclusive and supportive environments where mental health matters. Mental health literacy is...

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Spreading Kindness with Erika’s Lighthouse Compliment Poster

Erika’s Lighthouse is a non-profit organization that provides mental health education and resources to schools and communities. One of their many resources is the...

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The Impact – End of Year Giving

In February 2023, the CDC reported that an alarming 22% of young people said they had seriously considered suicide and stated, “The data make[s] it clear that...

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Resource Highlight: Help Seeking Worksheet

When you’re struggling with mental health challenges, it can be tough to know where to turn for help. You may feel like you’re all alone, or that you don’t deserve...

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Holiday Market Supporting Mental Health

Join us in support of Erika’s Lighthouse this holiday season! Adolescent depression lives in the shadows. Young people facing it feel isolated and dangerously...

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Depression Education is Suicide Prevetion

Depression is a common mental illness that affects millions of people worldwide. It can cause a wide range of symptoms, including sadness, hopelessness, fatigue,...

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As Funds Expire, Equity & Sustainability Are Key

As Funds Expire, Equity & Sustainability Are Key A flurry of recent articles has raised the reality that federal COVID-19 relief funds are set to expire, and their...

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Classroom Education’s Impact

We offer a suite of three educational programs designed to allow educators to empower their students with an introduction to mental health, depression literacy,...

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You Are Never Alone: Understanding Teen Depression & Suicide Prevention

September is National Suicide Prevention Month—a time to break the silence, look out for one another, and remind everybody that your mental health matters. If you’ve...

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The Four Pillars

Erika’s Lighthouse focuses on equipping school communities with the mental health education needed through four main pillars. Classroom Education, Family...

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Portal Sponsorship: The Opportunity to Empower School Professionals Around the Country

You have the opportunity to empower school professionals around the country by sponsoring Erika’s Lighthouse Resource Portal. By focusing on a specific state or...

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Erika’s Lighthouse 2022-2023 Program Report

Erika’s Lighthouse is a nonprofit dedicated to providing free turn-key resources to educators to create inclusive school cultures around mental health. Every...

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Giving Crypto to Erika’s Lighthouse

Cryptocurrency is one of the fastest-growing types of donations to charities. Over 300 million people hold cryptocurrency, and in 2022, over $125 million was donated...

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Minority Mental Health: The Importance of Culturally-Sensitive Care and How Your Donation Can Help

In 2020, suicide was the third leading cause of death for black and African American youth ages 15-19. Mental health disparities among minority groups are a severe...

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Mental Health is School Health

The American School Health Association (ASHA) is a national, multidisciplinary professional association that collaborates with Erika’s Lighthouse and others on a...

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Promoting Student Thriving by Connecting SEL and Mental Health

Access Programs Where It Begins For many districts, the path they follow into a more systemic approach to social and emotional learning (SEL) begins with...

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Why Educators Must Focus on Student Mental Health

Access Programs Erika’s Lighthouse at SHAPE Florida I heard an amazing presentation on Erika’s Lighthouse curriculum at a conference hosted by SHAPE...

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Schools Can Address Mental Health Smarter, Better, Easier

Access Portal Another study. Another confirmation that our youth are struggling with their or their peers’ mental health. In fact, student mental health...

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Skills-Based Health Education Beyond the Classroom

Holly Alperin, Ed.M, MCHES, has worked for over 20 years in public health and education. Currently she works at the University of New Hampshire preparing...

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Erika’s Lighthouse Update on Adolescent Mental Health: February 2023

Access Programs Erika’s Lighthouse is dedicated to adolescent mental health and our mission of ensuring no young person ever feels alone in their...

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Utilizing Tier 1 Universal Supports and Practices to Provide Mental Health Education to All

Nancy Watson (LCSW, CADC) is a psychotherapist at Lake Forest Wellness (Lake Forest, Illinois) specializing in working with children, adolescents, and...

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The Power of Programs with Impact Part IV:School Policy & Staff Development

Does the school policy at your school account for students who may be experiencing mental health challenges? Do staff know how to be trusted adults? How do your...

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SEL and Mental Health Education Build on One Another

Access Programs Serving Students with SEL During a recent conversation with a colleague who is in charge of social-emotional learning (SEL) for a large...

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How Culture Affects Mental Health

Patricia Voloschin-Weiner, LCPC has been working as a therapist with children, adults, and couples for the past 30 years and has addressed a variety of...

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The Power of Programs with ImpactPart III: Family Engagement

Do the family members of your district have the tools and knowledge they need to recognize signs of depression? Are they trusted adults who can address mental...

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The Power of Programs with ImpactPart II: Teen Empowerment

When you look at the teens at your school, do you see empowered students who know they can build the school culture they aspire to thrive in? When given the right...

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Erika’s Lighthouse Program Report 2021-22

How many students did Erika’s Lighthouse reach this past school year? Erika’s Lighthouse is reaching more students than ever with our evidence-informed programs and...

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Reframing the Narrative – Empowering Youth

Access Programs We have heard so much about everyone’s declining mental health – particularly our young people. In our effort to bring attention to this...

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Mental Health Education: The Power of Programs with Impact

Erika’s Lighthouse Core Value Series Part 1: Classroom Education Do you think students would benefit from depression and mental health education in your...

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A Partnership Between Erika’s Lighthouse and School Day

Chicago, Ill., September 6, 2022 – Erika’s Lighthouse and School Day announced a partnership today to collaborate and cross-promote their resources to promote a...

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CDC Report on Youth Mental Health: The Erika’s Lighthouse Perspective

Access Programs In April, the CDC published a report on youth mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. The statistics are grim. But the survey also...

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The Erika’s Lighthouse Perspective to the CDC’s Recent Youth Survey on School Connectedness and Mental Health

An examination of the mental health impact of COVID-19 and how connectedness to school, family, friends and community groups impact mental health outcomes. Please...

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10 Advantages of Erika’s Lighthouse

Our programs can work in any school community. 1. Wraparound ProgrammingWe don’t just offer a standalone curriculum, we believe in impacting the whole school by...

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White Paper: Integrating Mental Health into the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) Model for School Health

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A Family Workbook Series on Childhood Mental Health and Adolescent Depression

Somewhere between 15 and 20 percent of children and teens will suffer from at least one depressive episode before they reach adulthood. These episodes come in many...

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RESOURCE HIGHLIGHT: Shared Vocabulary

At Erika’s Lighthouse, we understand that discussing depression can be a challenging topic. As an educator or social worker, you are considered a trusted adult to the...

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White Paper: Model School District Policy on Suicide Prevention

Model School District Policy on Suicide Prevention: Model Language, Commentary, and Resources is the recognized policy for effective district-level engagement for suicide...

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