For Educators

Erika's Lighthouse Featured on NBC5 Chicago Podcast!

Reducing Mental Health Stigma for Students and Children | Mental Health Matter: A podcast with LeeAnn Trotter, Katie Conklin, and Candice Florance

Making mental health education a priority in schools isn’t just a good idea; it’s essential. This podcast episode focuses on the effectiveness of Erika’s Lighthouse programs: from classroom education to empowerment clubs, to how to have supportive conversations if you are concerned about a young person in your life.

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Building a Foundation of Hope: How Schools Support Student Mental Health

When a child struggles to read, we provide a reading specialist. When a student has a fever, we send them to the school nurse. We instinctively understand that for students to thrive academically, their other needs must be met. But what about their mental health? In the face of a youth mental health crisis, schools …

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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 classroom education. The  Program Report for the 2023-2024 school year also recognizes Erika’s Lighthouse’s 20th Anniversary and takes a look at how our programs have changed over the course …

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A Framework for Culture Change in School Communities

Erika’s Lighthouse believes every school community can be inclusive, empathetic and supportive around mental health. Our framework for promoting inclusive school cultures around mental health provides a roadmap for schools to create lasting change in their school culture. The Framework has five areas that schools can focus on to promote a positive school culture: Fundamental …

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Natasha Hall

Be a Professional Community Ambassador

Erika’s Lighthouse: A Beacon of Hope for Adolescent Depression is a non-profit organization committed to raising awareness about youth mental health in elementary school, middle school, and high school communities at no cost to schools. Erika’s Lighthouse works to eliminate the stigma surrounding depression and empower young people to take ownership of their mental health. …

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White Paper: Model School District Policy on Suicide Prevention: Implementing Effective Prevention Strategies

[xyz-ihs snippet=”HubSpot—Access-Free-Programs-Button”] Download the White Paper  Abstract Model School District Policy on Suicide Prevention: Model Language, Commentary, and Resources is the recognized policy for effective district-level engagement for suicide prevention in schools around the country. Developed by thought leaders in education and suicide prevention, it is the policy Erika’s Lighthouse has supported and shared since …

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

[xyz-ihs snippet=”HubSpot—Access-Free-Programs-Button”] Download the PDF > Abstract The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC, pronounced “wisk”) Model is an ideal framework for school communities to assess, plan and implement healthy school policies in a coordinated fashion. Erika’s Lighthouse supports this model in its attempt to create cultural change within schools to boost the physical …

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

Access Programs       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, frequent visits to the school nurse, skipping class, or frequent complaints of physical pain and sickness such as headaches, …

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