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A Shared Language for Student Mental Health in Illinois

A student struggling with depression may not always tell a teacher. They may not tell a parent. They may not even have the words to explain what they are experiencing.

But they may tell a friend, a school social worker, or another trusted adult. 

For Allison Manley, LCSW, that is why student mental health education cannot stop with the adults in the school building.

As Mental Health Program Manager in the Office of Student Health and Wellness at Chicago Public Schools, Allison has seen the importance of creating a school community where students, families, and school staff share a common understanding of mental health and know how to respond when a student needs support.

Today, Erika's Lighthouse helps schools build that shared language through free, evidence-informed mental health education for students, staff, and families.

Impact At A Glance

  • 3 Parts of a Student's Support System. Students, school staff, and families all have a role in supporting youth mental health.
  • Upstream Prevention. Mental health education gives schools an opportunity to address mental health before students reach a crisis point.
  • 1 Shared Language. Students and the adults around them can build a common understanding of mental health, depression, and help-seeking.
  • Free for Schools. Evidence-informed mental health education resources are available at no cost to schools.

Why Every Student Needs a Circle of Support

Schools play an important role in supporting student mental health. Teachers, counselors, social workers, and other school staff are often among the adults who spend significant time with young people outside their homes.

But students are also part of one another's support systems, and families play an essential role when students return home.

In Illinois, teachers, administrators, and school support personnel who work with students are required to receive training that includes identifying warning signs of mental illness and suicidal behavior in youth, as well as appropriate intervention and referral techniques.

That training is an important part of supporting students, but Allison recognized a remaining gap: focusing strictly on school staff can leave out the rest of a student's daily life.

"I do think this could be a barrier because supporting students really means reaching the people around them too, like school staff, families, and even other students," Allison explains.

The people most likely to notice that something has changed—whether a friend, a caregiver, or another trusted adult—also need the knowledge and language to recognize when a young person may be struggling. For Allison, true support means looking beyond the individual student and strengthening the entire circle of support around them.

Building a Shared Language for Mental Health

Allison's perspective comes from years of experience working directly with students and families as a former school social worker.

She sees Tier 1 mental health education as an important part of her approach to addressing student mental health proactively rather than waiting until a concern becomes a crisis.

Universal mental health education gives schools a way to reach students early with age-appropriate information about mental health, depression, coping, stigma, and help-seeking. 

Erika's Lighthouse Classroom Education provides free K–12 mental health curriculum that helps students build mental health literacy, learn about depression and suicide, and develop skills for recognizing concerns and seeking help.

The goal isn't to turn every student into a mental health professional. It's to give students the words to recognize what they are experiencing, understand that mental health is part of overall health, and know which trusted adults they can turn to for support.

Reaching Students, Families, and Staff

One of the things Allison values about Erika's Lighthouse is that the resources extend beyond the classroom.

Students can receive mental health education. School staff can learn how to recognize concerns and support students. Families and caregivers can build the knowledge and confidence to continue those conversations at home.

"Erika's Lighthouse offers resources that provide education and awareness for each different group: students, caregivers, and staff."

— Allison Manley, LCSW

Erika's Lighthouse Family Engagement resources provide families and caregivers with workshops, workbooks, and other resources designed to help extend conversations about mental health beyond the school day.

The Policy & Staff Training program helps school staff build the knowledge and skills to become trusted adults and allies for students, including training focused on recognizing signs and symptoms of depression and suicide and supporting students.

Because these resources are evidence-informed, adaptable, and free, schools can build a more connected approach to mental health education without asking one counselor or teacher to carry the responsibility alone.

When Everyone Around a Student Knows How to Help

A student doesn't always announce when they are struggling. Sometimes the signs are subtle.

A friend may notice a change in behavior. A teacher may see a student withdrawing from class. A parent may recognize that something feels different at home. A counselor may be the person a student finally feels safe enough to approach.

When the people around a student share a common language about mental health, they are better prepared to recognize when something may be wrong and help connect that student with appropriate support.

That is the opportunity Allison sees in proactive school mental health education.

When students receive clear, accessible information about mental health, they can become more comfortable talking about what they are experiencing and seeking help when they need it. And when the adults and peers around them have that same foundation, a student doesn't have to navigate a difficult moment alone.

"If all parties involved in a student's life have received this education as well, then we can all work together to address mental health needs and further suicide prevention efforts."

— Allison Manley, LCSW

Building a School Community Where No Student Has to Struggle Alone

Mental health education is about more than one lesson or one conversation. It is about creating a school culture where students know that their mental health matters, and where the people around them know how to listen, recognize concerns, and help them find support.

Allison's experience demonstrates the value of taking an upstream, whole-community approach to student mental health.

When students, families, and school staff share the same language, schools can build a stronger circle of support around every young person. Because no student should have to know exactly how to ask for help before someone is ready to listen.

Bring Mental Health Education to Your School

Every student deserves access to trusted, age-appropriate mental health education, and every student deserves a community that knows how to support them.

Erika's Lighthouse provides a full suite of free school mental health programs, including Classroom Education, Empowerment Clubs, Family Engagement, and Policy & Staff Training.

Explore Erika's Lighthouse Classroom Education and learn how your school can build a stronger circle of support for every student.

Chicago Public Schools

  • State: Illinois
  • Pillar(s) Used: Classroom Education, Family Engagement, Policy & Staff Training, Culture Framework
Profile Image

Allison Manley

Mental Health Program Manager

Perspective: School Social Worker, School Counselor

Allison Manley, LCSW (she/her), serves as the Mental Health Program Manager in the Office of Student Health and Wellness at Chicago Public Schools, in addition to her contractual work with Erika's Lighthouse. She previously worked as a School Social Worker within CPS and holds an MSW from Loyola University. Allison is a dedicated advocate for evidence-based, systemic mental health support and brings experience working with students and families.

Programs Discussed

Within the last three years, I've had only four students out of more than 18,000 leave a lesson because it was emotionally triggering. Erika's Lighthouse's curriculum is accurate, understanding, and presented in a way that students can handle."

— Amy Gladman, Community Educator, The Counseling Center

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Amy Gladman

Community Partner from Ohio

Working with Erika's Lighthouse has been such a positive and meaningful experience for our students at West Leyden. A team of us in the Student Services department collaborate with our Freshman Health teachers to deliver the content to the entire class. Half of our freshmen take Health first semester and half take it second semester so we go in twice a year. This year, we had the Health teachers start off day one with the video and then facilitate a classroom discussion. For the second day, we bring in the Peer Leaders to lead the students in small groups. Another counselor and I co-sponsor the Peer Leaders program for our school so we have about 25-30 students who are natural leaders and are perfect for the job. Within the small groups the students read the stories from the students featured in the video. They also answer the questions from the packets together. We find that having student leaders involved helps bring a different perspective to the lesson. It shows our freshmen that students in the building care about depression and suicide and are willing to speak on the subject. Day three of the program includes our Social Workers going into the classroom and using the day three portion of the lesson. They provide information on who to go to in the school building or outside in the community for help with depression or suicide ideation. I am so grateful to Erika's Lighthouse for developing such a comprehensive set of lessons. The videos have been very enlightening to our students and the handouts provide additional information that truly bring the stories to life. Because there is a range of individuals with different circumstances featured on the video, our students have really been able to identify with the youth on the video. This connection is so critical to educating young people on overcoming the stigma of getting help for mental health issues. I am also thankful that Erika's Lighthouse has been so supportive of our school and our interpretation of their curriculum. Because of Erika's Lighthouse we have been able to focus on delivery and assistance and not on developing curriculum. Thank you, Erika's Lighthouse!
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Shaina

School Professional from Illinois

I know what to look for and how to help.
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Nicolette

Student

I think this program is very good because it provides examples from teens that I can relate to.
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Genevieve

Student

Thank you Erika’s Lighthouse for continuing to partner with us as we use the classroom program. It is a vital part of our Health unit when we cover Mental Health. We really appreciate that counselors have built a successful partnership with our Health teachers due to this program.
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Helen

School Professional from Illinois

The information is accurate. I led a parent workshop on April 26th for the PTA of our school. About 25 parents attended and a couple of them have more than one child in our school. I used the We all have Mental Health PPT Presentation for this workshop. Thank you for the wonderful resources available on your website. I look forward to using more of the products in the next school year.
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Joseph

School Counselor from New York

this program helps a lot of people pay attention to the symptoms if one of your friends have depression
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Amara

Student

Most teachers in grades 7-8 and Health 1 said they planned to field test Erika's Lighthouse in lieu of the currently approved suicide prevention curriculum they normally use in those grades. They said they thought the Erika's Lighthouse curricula was more accessible for teachers and more relatable to students than the programs they've used in the past. Thank you for having a skills-based program available at no cost.
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Lucian

School Professional from Oregon

Our school has partnered with Erika’s Lighthouse for several years, and I am always impressed with the quality of materials that they produce. The staff at Erika’s Lighthouse strives to provide the most current resources so our teachers can effectively deliver information while using proven best practices. Talking about depression can make both teachers and students uncomfortable, but the Erika’s Lighthouse program is designed to decrease the negative attitudes of depression. The program provides an opportunity for conversations about how students can contribute to a positive mental health culture in their school and community.
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Jason Dane

School Professional from Illinois

I just trained our Freshman using the Erika's Lighthouse Cirriculum and wanted to pass that along to you since I know that you keep track of the numbers. It conintues to be a helpful and impactful video for our students. I am so appreciative, as always!
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Terri

School Professional from Illinois

The spirit and energy of the club members was great, and their positivity and drive to promote mental health and wellness was incredible.
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Julian

School Professional from Illinois

The videos are well done. The kids find them authentic and, because of the diversity, can see a face they recognize.  The materials are affordable, well thought out and easy to use. They're flexible and have no rigidity about how they're to be used.  Erika’s Lighthouse supplies resources offering an easy way to talk to kids about how to stay mentally healthy.  No one is putting out these kinds of materials right now, and trying to create them on my own would be impossible.
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Harry

School Professional from Washington

We still use Erika’s Lighthouse for our yearly mental health curriculum. Our students enjoy the interactive lessons and I feel our district have come a long way in our education since employing your curriculum. We will continue to use your resources for as long as i am here.
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Scott

School Professional from Illinois

This program is a very helpful way to for people to understand depression and how to help and support people who have it.
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Rowan

Student

We used to use the SOS curriculum but 3 years ago we switched to Erika's Lighthouse. We love how it's a general overview of mental health. The kids relate to it so much better.
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Dana

School Social Worker from Wisconsin

This Program is great overall, teaching kids that they don't have to be scared do talk to people and that their feelings are Valid and matter.
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Orion

Student

You are doing an incredible job with making resources accessible to teachers like myself.  We have a common goal of helping to educate, removing stigma, and normalize the idea that mental health is something we all have!
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Heather

School Professional from New York

We are using the one day depression education lesson in high school ROTC and 11th grade health classes. We added two of the program addition activities to break up the lesson and include an interactive, skill building component - 'Having Supportive Conversations with Peers' and 'Text from a Friend'. We are receiving positive feedback from students and the team who facilitated re: the materials
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Maeve

School Professional

I just like the whole concept of the organization about spreading awareness of depression in youth because it's so common this day and age and I just wanted to help in any way I can to be a support system. I want to make sure people know I'm someone they can go to about that
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Meghan

Student from Illinois

This workshop shares great tips on what we can do to help children who are experiencing depression or thoughts of suicide. The power of listening to what our children have to say when it comes to their mental health, can be the difference between a moment of sadness or a lifelong battle with depression
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Omayra

School Professional from Illinois

I am able to empathize more and understand the role I can play to get others help.
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Ezra

Student

be confident to talk to someone if your feeling down.
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Tristan

Student from California

i have no suggestions since i now know i'm not alone with stress.
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Dominic

Student from California

This program is very educational and helped me know the symptoms and how to help someone with depression.
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Silas

Student

My ability to help someone with depression has completely changed after the Erikas Lighthouse Program because I can see signs of depression, and I know who to call if I or someone else needs help.
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Magnus

Student

I have been using your lessons for roughly 6 years and love the flow. Thank you so much for easy to understand lessons that have so much power and impact on our students.
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Siena

School Professional from Ohio

I am more open minded and more comfortable with talking and opening up about this topic.
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Balthazar

Student

Love the updates to the resource portal. We are going to be down a social worker this year in my building so I am going solo this year. Due to my services in the building being reduced, I have already completed my Depression Awareness presentation with my junior high students and was grateful to be able to use the website in the presentation. I also utilize some of the resources you have on the portal in some of my small groups too for some of my kids that are struggling with anxiety, depression and mood regulation. Lots of great resources so thank you!
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Freya

School Social Worker from Illinois

One thing I learned: how to help my family that mental health is normal is that if a person you know has a metnal health needs help them out be confident to talk to someone if you're feeling down I love learning mental health it's so fun! LOL be inspirational and say 'if you think someone is having problems, go talk to them. Stress is a normal feeling and you are not alone' To always love yourself!
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Kira

Student from California

I love that this program is free. Wow - amazing! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and resources.
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Tobias

School Professional from International

I am using this program this year! I am so excited to implet it! Thank you! Your presentation was my favorite at the conference!
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Rhys

School Professional from New York

I believe this club brings awareness to such an important topic. While we as adults can try to send the message that mental health is important, students hearing this message delivered from their peers in fun ways is even more impactful. The students in our club truly feel they at they are making a difference!
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Gwen

School Professional from Illinois

Previously, I had used the video and lesson for Level 2 for everybody. I changed it up so that I would have a plan for every year and not have to reinvent the wheel. The lessons worked well for the assigned grade levels. My geeky self enjoyed seeing how the students from the Level 2 video had grown and seemed to be doing well in the Level 3 video. After you watch the videos so many times in a day, you get a little emotionally invested! Thank you to Erika's Lighthouse for providing these resources for a tough topic.
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Pat

School Counselor from West Virginia

It has been wonderful seeing how the Level III EL programming used in my Health classes has inspired young people to act. I grew up in Northfield so this organization and message are something I have always deeply valued. I was lucky enough to be involved with this programming as a student in middle school and high school as well.
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Michelle

Health Educator from Illinois

Erika's lighthouse gave me real insight through the stories of the people in the video.
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Gareth

Student

We were scheduled to do a different two part lesson on depression but Erika's Lighthouse was a much better fit for our sophomores. We used the first lesson in its entirety and did lessons 2 and 3 as a combination as we had enough time.

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Britta

School Counselor from Illinois

Erika’s Lighthouse was embraced sincerely by all youth, faculty and administrators this past year. I am personally very attached to this phenomenal program. In fact, our evaluator reported the 2020-2021 results are good from the pre & post tests. I will meet with her next week to hear the positive news officially. I have loved and enjoyed every minute of teaching Erika’s Lighthouse. I have the utmost respect for this most important message. In fact, after teaching several prevention programs for eleven (11) years through the Substance Awareness Center, Erika’s Lighthouse is the most important program. Every school district should be offering Erika’s Lighthouse. I am very attached to the mission and message of this extraordinary program which saves lives. Thank you!
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Christina

Community Partner from Florida

From Erika’s Light House I learned that I like to do mindfulness because It makes me feel good and good. and also Happy. I Love It so much.

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Felix

Student from California

It has shifted my perspective of depression and also taught me of some of the signs of depression that I can recognize in friends so I can get support them and help them get proper treatment
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Talon

Student

My ability to help someone with depression changed due to Erika’s Lighthouse program because I know a lot more about depression and symptoms.
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Declan

Student

I have enjoyed using Erika's Lighthouse lessons with my students. These lessons are ready to go and incredibly simple to use. The lessons include the student perspective, which is so valuable. My students have shared that the lessons are a great opportunity for them to talk about mental health with peers. So many students would not experience this without Erika's Lighthouse.
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Jillian

School Professional from New Mexico

My organization has been using the middle school curriculum in the Indian River Florida school System for several years now. This was my first time presenting, and I just LOVE IT! I took advantage of the heart-to-heart Valentine’s idea, and it was a hit. Next week, I will presenting my final segment 3 to our 6th grade population for the academic school year.
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Xzondra

Community Partner from Florida

We are just trying to get the kids to be aware that we as a school care about their mental health. We're doing it to show we know it's there, we can help them if it makes it difficult to learn and also it's getting students to connect with their friends over the walk
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Alicia

School Social Worker from Illinois

I recently had a seemingly well-adjusted student with strong grades, plenty of friends, involved and supportive family, who indicated on their self-referral exit ticket in my class that he needed to speak with a mental health care worker in the next 24 hours. The counselor had never met with him before; barely knew who he was because he never appeared to struggle. Turns out he not only had struggled with suicidal thoughts for some time, he had a complete plan for following through. I am so grateful I met Erika's Lighthouse at our Indiana SHAPE (INSHAPE) conference in 2019 . Your lessons, materials, videos, and teaching guides gave me confidence to approach mental health in a way that reduces stigma… something I always wanted to do but didn’t know how. Students getting these Erika’s Lighthouse lessons hear so clearly that everyone deserves good mental health, and there is hope and help for those who are struggling, whether those struggles make sense or not. Absolute life saver for these kids!
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Cassie

Health Educator from Indiana

Let me start out by saying that the Erika’s Lighthouse curriculum and resources are amazing, and the bounty of options and web design has become even more robust and wonderful in the past year. Kudos, and THANK YOU for putting it out there for free!
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Clementine

School Professional from Illinois

I like this program, I feel it shows a lot of peoples real life experiences.
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Zaria

Student

Thank you, Peggy! The presentation was educational for all staff members. We hope to implement both programs this academic year!
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Priya

School Professional from Illinois

I think that Sasha and Andre did the right thing to talk to there parents. Whenever I am stressed i like to go outside. Or I also play on the phone. -C.M.
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Ariadne

Student from California

Just wanted to let you know that two of my schools are doing the Positivity Pledge. They are having a blast with it and have created competitions within the classrooms. Thank you so much for all the help. What a wonderful way to get the information across and to end the year on a positive note.
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Ruth

School Professional from Ohio

I would love to get information out to our Middle and High School members about your program since not everyone was able to attend the Health conference and so many of our students have struggled at different points over the last two years and during adolescence. I would love for Massachusetts to be flooded with Erika's Lighthouse resources!
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Fiona

School Professional from Massachusetts

Erika’s Lighthouse provides the opportunity for students to understand that depression is part of life. It teaches the symptomatology in non-judgmental way that is very palatable. The video demonstrates how accessing help is an important life skill, and sometimes you have to access multiple avenues. It models for students that there are circles of support, from their friends, family, school, and community. The help seeking component is my favorite because it is a true skill that we all need to develop over a lifespan. Additionally, it helps develop a help-seeking culture on campuses and assists in identifying community resources. The bookmark is a great resource that has great tangible information to support mental wellness. The program comes from a multiple perspective place that supports a school, and student.
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Sally

School Social Worker from California

I appreciate all your fantastic resources and I have really enjoyed the new resource portal. Thanks for all your hard work on such an important part of our kids lives.
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Mireille

School Counselor from Indiana

My favorite part of the presentation was the worksheets because I liked writing about myself. My favorite part of the presentation was learning some ways to calm down my stress. In my opinion my favorite thing was the worksheets because we can put what we feel.
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Evangeline

Student from California

The school counselor and I did Level 3 (one day) in 2 days per grade during their 37 min PE/Health classes. We had about 45-50 students in the gym per session. We did break out small groups (5 groups with us, PE and health each leading a group) during day 2. We gave out 988 bracelets and hung up large Erik's lighthouse posters and I put a 988 banner and the QR code for student services on them as well. We also used the referral cards and had about 35 (10%) request to be seen after. This year we did not do anything for staff other than give them a 988 bracelet. Hoping we can for next year. Let me know if you have more questions. Erika's Lighthouse is a great program!!! And such a blessing to our students!
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Gideon

School Social Worker from Illinois

I think my ability to help someone has definitely improved and I now know to seek help if I think they need it.
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Delilah

Student

This was an awesome experience. Candice is a natural. Erika's Lighthouse was very well represented. The message was delivered with care. I know that everyone in that session knew the value of incorporating a mental health curriculum in their school. Erika's lighthouse is definitely the best program that would give them the support and tools they need to function.
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Victor

Health Educator from Illinois

I think that it is good as it is because there is a little bit of everything (videos, lectures, vocabulary matching). It is formed well to teach students about mental health.
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Elowen

Student

I want you all to know that our suicide attempt rate as measured by the YRBS, went down from 14.3% to between 5.4-7.2% since using your videos and the messages from your curriculum.  We continue to be very impressed by your videos, website, and curriculum.
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Michael

School Professional from Wisconsin

Hi there. We were able to present to 385 out of 386 5th grade student in the Neosho Middle school. This material was more grade appropriate than our previous material. There were less false positives with our exit tickets. We will be using this course with our 5th grade students from here on out.
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Thaddeus

School Counselor from Missouri

Wonderful! Thanks so much! We don't have a counseling budget at the school so I am so grateful for the support for our kiddos.
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Brooke

School Counselor from Washington

When the current pandemic first took storm, I found myself struggling with my mental health mostly because staying in quarantine was such an adverse and tumultuous time. Once school started, I wanted to help my classmates, who were also dealing with mental health struggles, which inspired me to establish an Erika's Lighthouse club at my school. Through this club, my classmates and I have found a safe space to express ourselves and help break down the stigma surrounding mental health.
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Gowri

Student from Texas

From a counselor position, this organization is amazing and I very much appreciate all it's doing to better the lives of our youth
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Kat

School Professional from Illinois

I love Erika’s Lighthouse! I use it every year for Depression awareness with my 7th graders and then use some of the additional resources to share with Middle school students for mental health awareness. Thank you!
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Lyra

School Counselor from Texas

These are kids who, without that curriculum, likely would’ve said nothing, would’ve continued to struggle, and would’ve received no help.  Now I feel like they’ve taken that first big step… acknowledging what they’re feeling and recognizing that they need assistance. And because of Erika’s Lighthouse, they will get it
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Lia

School Professional from Indiana

Thanks for all the work we have done. The resources from Erika’s Lighthouse are highly appreciated here among our middle and high school counselors. I value our experiences together and look forward to our paths crossing again in the future.
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Edward

School Professional from Wisconsin

This program doesn’t need any improvement its a great resource and safe space for those who need it.
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Beatrice

Student

I was so impressed with the lessons. I was able to include them in my HS health unit this Fall. I showed the video clip which had teen examples that engaged the students and I did the mini poster project and I liked how students responded to the scenarios. I was so grateful that the program was free and easy to implement. NYS mandated health educators to focus more on mental health topics and the curriculum met our new standards.
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Donna

School Professional from New York

I feel more comfortable talking to people about it and I know more about what I should do if I see someone with warning signs.
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Sylvia

Student

Thank you so much for offering this program. I am retiring at the end of this school year and regret that I wasn't able to find time to make more use of it. My plans were to sponsor a mental health club this year and use your resources for it. I will encourage my replacement to check out what Erika's Lighthouse has to offer if she's not already aware. Keep up the important work that you are doing and the messages that you are promoting to our youth!

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Stacey

School Professional from Missouri

Each day at PJ23 School, we read the daily reminder about the Positivity Pledge calendar for that given day. At PJ23, we highlight Mindfulness Monday, Wellness Wednesday and Faithfulness Friday, and the Positivity Pledge calendar paired brilliantly with that. Additionally, we have a commitment to healthy bodies, minds and souls and we strive to put an emphasis on mental health awareness. Thank you, Erika's Lighthouse, for your great resources and for your partnership
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Molly

Administrator from Illinois

Thank you for providing these valuable resources at no cost.
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Aredia

School Professional from Illinois

...a high school stuednt was taking the ELH health unit this week and reached out to a trusted adult at school. How amazing it is to know the ELH initiative helped that student!
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Kaelen

School Professional from Virginia

These assesments are amazing! My students are sending me in thier projects and they really enjoy having the choice for an assessment and the assessments being submitted are so creative! My 10th graders are doing Level III and my 7th graders are submitting Level I. They are almost finished with the Level II lessons and thye are picking up so much. Thank you again!
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Meagan

School Professional from New York

This program was very helpful to me because I learned many strategies on how I can help others and myself if I am in this type of situation.
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Kendra

Student

Sasha and Andre where stress so they Sasha told her mom about it so they watched movies and it calmed her stress for Andre he didn't tell anyone he only told Sasha Sasha told him to watch movies with friends but for Andre it didn't work So he decided to tell his teacher And his teacher told him to do something and Andre stress went away.
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Cassian

Student from California

I am now more open minded towards those suffering with depression and I also now have better references to refer friends to seek help.
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Aurelia

Student

I am so happy and satisfied with the Erika's Lighthouse Program. I am a new school social worker, so the fact that they provide so many resources for FREE is truly a life saver, and makes it so much more accessible. They provide step by step instructions and training on how to successfully implement the program. You can tell from the program and the organization's mission that they genuinely support mental health and suicide awareness/prevention, which is truly admirable. I think it is so important for students to hear from other students about their experiences, especially from different backgrounds and perspectives, and this program does that!
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Sarah

School Professional from Illinois

I am the school social worker at Lake Forest Country Day and have relied on Erika's Lighthouse programming materials and resources to educate our middle school students about depression awareness since 2012. The program is comprehensive in that it provides a thorough and scientific understanding of depression, explores and clears away the negative stigma associated with mental illness, provides guidance on how to seek help for oneself and a friend, and addresses the importance of adopting and maintaining healthy coping mechanisms to combat everyday stressors. Students share with me that they are grateful for the education, practical tools, and permission to discuss mental health issues in a way that is authentic, hopeful, and empowering.  Additionally, I appreciate the flexibility that the program offers concerning the ability to roll it out entirely or split into segments to accommodate school scheduling needs. Finally, our families are grateful for the education provided to their children around these important issues and the parent resources that I share with them from Erika's Lighthouse website. Depression in adolescents has increased and schools are uniquely situated to provide protective factors to students by providing the essential education that Erika's Lighthouse offers.
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Nancy

School Professional from Illinois

Just wanted to let you know that the resources are amazing. I've shared them with my Health & PE staff and all I keep hearing is positive things. Thank you so much for sharing and providing support around mental wellness and suicide prevention. I really appreciate it.
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Astrid

Administrator from Wisconsin

I am very thankful for you and the team who created this program and made it available for us. I am glad I got to know it in one of ISCA's workshops.
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Leander

School Counselor from International

I think this program helped me a lot and made this topic more understandable to me.
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Cyrus

Student

I appreciate YOU!! Folks are still reaching out about how great your webinar was and the materials are being accessed in our Social Work Resource Library!!
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J.R.

Community Partner

Thank you for providing wonderful resources and lesson plans for educators. After utilizing the middle school curriculum, I have had a lot of great feedback from students. One student stayed after class to thank me for sharing about depression since she has a friend currently struggling with it. Another student opened up to his class about his experience managing his depression over the last couple of years. His peers were very supportive and appreciated his willingness to open up a discussion.The small group questions you provided have been a great tool to allow students to openly share with each other in a safe space. Your program is changing lives, and I am thankful to be a part of it.
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Kalee

School Professional from Oklahoma

This program kept me interested and informed and I really appreciate that I can now help myself or someone I know who may be struggling with depression.
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Ronan

Student

We have been using these materials and so appreciate them. Everything from the parent letter down to the self-referral. Thank you so much for this
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Jasper

Administrator from California

Erika’s Lighthouse has been such an outstanding program for our middle school students. This May, we are working on a school wide Positivity Pledge for 30 days in honor of Mental Health Awareness.
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Lori

School Professional from Kansas

My ability has changed for the better because now I have a better background on the topic. With my more in depth knowledge of the topic I can confidently help others with depression.
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Killian

Student

we should be inspirational and say if you think someone is having problems, go talk to them. stress is a normal feeling and you are not alone.
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Celeste

Student from California

I feel more confident to help someone or guide someone who has depression
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Sabrina

Student

Lessons continue to be great and developmentally appropriate for the kiddos. Thank you
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Soren

School Counselor from Connecticut

Parents were really moved by the important information shared in the workshop. It is vital that our community is aware of the warning signs to look for with their children
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Jonathan

School Professional from Illinois

I used the 4-day lesson plan with approximately 75 fifth graders. I thoroughly enjoyed sharing this information with them and their teachers and I feel very good about the impact it has had on them. I want to continue conversations with them as they relate to their learning through your program. I have done a different program in the past and was excited to be introduced to your program when our elementary school counselors met before the start of school for students. I really like Erika's Lighthouse the best! Thank you for making this available. (Elem teacher in JCPS)
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Naomi

School Professional from Kentucky

Students throughout Los Angeles Unified School District have received Erika’s Lighthouse curriculum and have engaged in learning about teen depression, stigma associated with mental health, and coping skills. The program is easily accessible and provides all the materials needed for implementation. The students, school staff and parents that have been provided with the lessons have expressed their gratitude and appreciation for the program.
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Ely

School Professional from California

I was sooo thankful for your lessons. There is very little time to plan to put together my own lessons. This website and your information was, truly, a Godsend. The material was very relevant; the handouts were appreciated.
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Cassandra

School Professional from Ohio

i used to think that depression was not like a real thing and that people where just coming up with excuses to get out of stuff but now i realize that it is a real problem and people who have it actually need help
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Talia

Student

I have been meaning to contact you about how much I enjoyed this year's curriculum and think it is the best one thus far! I used the ELH Level 3 with my freshman health classes in December. I love it! I love the posters and having the students present about the six teens they learned about, which I hung in the classroom (please see the attachment). I needed something colorful and bright to cover up the partition between the two classrooms. My supervisor was observing me on this day, and he indicated that it was one of the best lessons he had seen. Now that everything is available to use in Google and customizable, it makes the teacher's life a bit easier; thank you for that. I also love the Performance Assessment and that you included a rubric and gave the student choices. I was amazed by some of the products my students put forth. Some students asked if they could do a news article for option two and a few students inquired about writing a letter to a friend instead of a voice message. I love the creativity that this allowed for them to do. I posted our assignment on Schoology, our district's Learning Management System. I had 3 ELL students, so some of the Spanish materials you provided were very helpful to use. Thanks to Erika's Lighthouse for producing such an excellent and necessary curriculum!
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Jill

School Professional from New Jersey

I really appreciate the work you all do to make these resources available for free and easily adaptable to fit the needs of various students. I also appreciate that the resources are made using the stories of actual students who have gone through mental illness ...it definitely makes the videos and tools so much more real and relevant to the students!
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Vance

School Social Worker from Illinois

Social Worker and Counselors love the videos and the simple and clear way the information is provided. In meeting with some middle schoolers after the presentation I heard It was really good to know about depression and now I feel like I can help others
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Xavier

Administrator from Kansas

now I know I am not alone with stress
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Dante

Student from California

Good Morning! We have completed ELH at all the schools! It went beautifully and ELH had a great impact on the students. Many students reached out for help as a result of ELH! Thank you for all your help!
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Jill

School Professional from Florida

I highly enjoyed presenting for ELH for elementary school students, this was very easy to implement, the video is short, clear, and relatable. The team did an amazing job creating this presentation and took into consideration the limited preparation time PSW's have to prepare for the classroom presentation. Students enjoyed it and I got great feedback from the teachers and administrators.
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Sally Stevens, LCSW PPSC M. Ed.

School Professional from California

The Erika's Lighthouse Program Works! So many of our students really listened and heard the message of your curriculum!!!  They heard it, they thought about what they’re feeling, and they asked for help! THEY ASKED FOR HELP!  That’s truly the whole point, right? Awareness, understanding, and not being afraid to confront what you’re feeling and ask for help rather than suffer in silence.
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Lia

School Professional from Indiana

I’m proud to support Erika’s Lighthouse because I believe all students should have access to quality mental health education. Mental health and depression is often a difficult topic to discuss at any age, especially for adolescent students. So when I learned how scalable, sustainable, and impactful ELH’s programs are, I knew I wanted to be involved at a deeper level and joined the Corporate Advisory Committee. The sheer number of students whose lives are positively impacted by ELH’s educational programs and Empowerment Clubs is inspiring, due in large part to the ever-evolving and approachable curriculum. I’m excited to see how ELH can expand its reach and provide even more education as we enter this next chapter of growth.
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Lukas Kubon

Donor from Illinois

I absolutely love this program! I wish I had known about it in years past because I definitely would have been using it. I utilized the one day lesson this year to complete our required Suicide Prevention training with students in 8-12 grades. I also plan to use other resources on the website to conduct stress management classes and mindfulness activities.
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Dorian

School Professional

It taught me to make sure too take depression seriously and look for signs of depression in my community and too be there for them.
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Ophelia

Student

On a side note, I just would like to share we have been implementing lessons and have been able to support and reach students that would typically fly under the radar. We are grateful for the partnership with your program!
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Mike

School Professional from Illinois

We are incredibly appreciative for our partnership with Erika's Lighthouse and all of the work that you do! Thanks for being awesome!
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Callum

School Professional from Virginia

Working in a special day school program, where all students have IEPs centered around behavior and emotional disabilities, having the Erika's Lighthouse curriculum was vital to start our school year and orient ourselves in understanding the connection we all have to depression and suicide. Many of our students at our school are diagnosed, but they do not necessarily recognize that there are many others going through the same thing. We were able to help our students see the connections between each other and how they may help themselves, while also supporting others in our school. Additionally, we loved that it was FREE!
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Nicole

School Social Worker from Kansas

Statistics compiled by the school district revealed [an increase] in the number of students who self-reported having mental-health difficulties – from 1,168 in 2021-22 to 3,146 in 2022-23.
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Elena

Community Partner from Florida

I use your materials with our upper schoolers and LOVE your programming.
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Veda

School Professional

Thank you so much for reaching out to me. Thankfully our school uses your resources currently, which I am deeply grateful for. I cannot thank Erika's Lighthouse enough for all that you all do. We need these resources in school more than ever, and these resources will save lives. I share your resources widely and even have used your resources with my own children. My son lost a friend to suicide 3 years ago, and knowing that there is a resource he can learn about mental health has been an positive for him too. Thank you.
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Elizabeth

School Professional from Illinois

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Jillian Evans

School Counselor from New Mexico

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Michelle Westerling

Health Educator from Massachusetts

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Jennifer Bellissimo

School Professional from Massachusetts

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Cassie Brooks

Health Educator from Indiana

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Zoe Adelstein

Student from Illinois

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Alexandra Greenberg

Donor from Illinois

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Jason Dane

Health Educator from Illinois

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Sally Lou Loveman

Donor from Illinois

"I wanted to lean into these challenging topics, but I needed a comprehensive, evidence-informed tool that established safety for everyone in the room."

— Cassie Brooks, Health & Physical Education Teacher

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Cassie Brooks

Health Educator from Indiana

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Lorri Kasten

School Counselor from Kansas

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ASCA Conference

School Counselor

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ASCA Conference

School Counselor

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ASCA Conference

School Counselor

We have actually used the one-day lesson for each grade at our school. I loved the material and I think it did a really good job connecting with our students. I plan to explore other lessons and resources on the website!
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Anthony

School Counselor from Missouri

I am totally going to start using these resources with my therapy clients outside of school too (I am a LPC Candidate here in Oklahoma outside of school hours). Thank you so much- Erika's Lighthouse is a wonderful organization!
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Nathan

School Social Worker from Oklahoma

We used the Level 2 platform/curriculum from Erika’s Lighthouse this fall in our mental health unit in health class with our entire student body (49 students). The student stories were especially helpful and engaging, as their diverse experiences really resonated with our students. The program prompted some incredible class conversations and reflections, and we feel it has fostered a lasting understanding of depression and suicide awareness. We’re grateful for the resources Erika’s Lighthouse provides—thank you for making this program accessible!
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Charles

School Counselor from Kentucky

I love promoting good mental health through lessons and activities and have been super proud of my club members for wanting to do the same!!
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Jill, Professsional Community Ambassador

School Social Worker from Kansas

I am very thankful for you and the team who created this program and made it available for us. I am glad I got to know it in one of ISCA's workshops.
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Elena

School Counselor from International

I think my ability to help someone has definitely improved and I now know to seek help if I think they need it.
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Valentina

Student

Wonderful! Thanks so much! We don't have a counseling budget at the school so I am so grateful for the support for our kiddos.
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Brooke Fox

School Professional

I used several slides from the staff trainings to do a professional development session with our school staff and ended our session with a round of the mental health bingo. It was a great closing to a heavy topic. I did complete the impact form to report on what I used. Thank you for your offering in partnership, will be sure to reach out if questions arise!
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Penelope

School Professional from California

I just finished one lesson for 7th graders, approximately 80 students. I appreciate many aspects of the lessons, but the self-referral cards, which are distributed each year, help put our students in contact with our school counselors, and I am always grateful.
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Michael

Health Educator from California

What drew me to Erika’s Lighthouse wasn’t simply the opportunity to run the Chicago Marathon. It was the organization’s mission to educate young people, families, and educators about mental health, reduce stigma, and provide support before someone reaches a crisis point. That mission is deeply personal to me. I lost my younger brother after a long battle with mental health challenges and substance use, and I often think about how access to education, support, and open conversations surrounding mental health during his school years could have made a difference. Being able to run in his memory while supporting an organization whose mission aligns so closely with my family’s experience is truly an honor.
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Santiago

Team Resilience Participant

Attached is our completed data for the Dubuque Community School District. In talking with the counselors, they all feel Erika's lighthouse is valuable, quality curriculum! Thank you for sharing it with us. Have a great summer!
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Ava

Administrator from Iowa

Our middle and upper school counselors did do a faculty/staff training on suicide prevention just before spring break. It was a great presentation, and teachers appreciated the examples on how to talk to a student. Again, thanks for your support and we’ll be in touch if we need more.
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Joshua

School Professional

I hope that this message finds you well and that you are having an excellent Mental Health Awareness Month! NCCVT has been promoting, supporting and engaging with Erika’s Lighthouse Positivity Pledge as one of our Mental Health Awareness Activities. In regard to our HB301 programming, NCCVT is going to continue to utilize Erika’s Lighthouse programming for the 2025-2026 school year, and efforts are already underway to support planning and relaunch for next year.
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Hazel

School Professional from Delaware

I appreciate YOU!! Folks are still reaching out about how great your webinar was and the materials are being accessed in our Social Work Resource Library!!
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Dr. J.R. Bullard-Batiste

School Professional

I am piloting it in one of my 5th grade classrooms. I have 17 students and they are really enjoying it. It is sparking great conversations. I am hoping to implement with all my 5th grade next year. As a school counselor I enjoy it and students are relating to it so much. Thank you!
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Henry

School Professional from South Dakota

I hope this finds you doing well!!! We were able to use Ericka’s Light House Curriculum (Level III) with our high school students. It was phenomenal!! What a gift to be able to use it. It was well put together, easy to use and covered just the right information.
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Willow

School Counselor from Ohio

"I am so happy and satisfied with the Erika's Lighthouse Program. I am a new school social worker, so the fact that they provide so many resources for FREE is truly a lifesaver, and makes it so much more accessible. They provide step by step instructions and training on how to successfully implement the program. You can tell from the program and the organization's mission that they genuinely support mental health and suicide awareness/prevention, which is truly admirable. I think it is so important for students to hear from other students about their experiences, especially from different backgrounds and perspectives, and this program does that!"
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Sarah

School Social Worker from Illinois

And btw, I LOVE the resource portal...saves soo much work finding activities on our own.
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Amelia

School Professional from Kentucky

We used the Level II program in October. It was a great success! We saw a large jump in understanding (81%) in knowledge of depression symptoms across all three grade levels.
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Isaac

School Counselor from New Hampshire

It was incredibly inspiring to hear of the resources and service project opportunities Erika's Lighthouse provides. The Beacon of Hope door signs intrigued me the most, and I decided I wanted to implement that at my school!
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Aubrey

Student from Maine

I love your programs! We have a small school in Northeast Ohio and I present your programing every year to our 6,7, and 8th grade students. I also use the Positivity pledge every year and make it a fun event for the students to participate as much as possible. This year they are painting stones for week 3 that can be placed around our school yard to remind everyone how important they are to us. Thank you for all that you provide to us
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Violet

School Counselor from Ohio

I happened to go on to the ELH site to dig around again. I had never looked deeply to the dashboard. Wow is all I have to say. Very impressive.
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Jonathan

School Social Worker from Minnesota

I am excited to have ELTEC back at OLHMS. To be honest, the students will not let this club falter and demand its return! We have 20 students signed up for ELTEC this year!
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Oliver

School Professional

I can't express just how much this support means to me as it allows for our kids to access programming and initiatives that they wouldn't otherwise be able to."
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Mateo

School Professional from Washington

I used this for approximately 115 students. I had a student come up to me toward the end of this and tell me that she has been able open up to her therapist (she's missed a TON of school) and get hard things off of her chest that she has been carrying. I honestly do not know if she has missed a school day since we started that lesson two weeks ago.
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Mia

School Professional from Indiana

I work as a school psychologist for CPS, and my school just started implementing the Erika's Lighthouse curriculum to 6-8th graders a few weeks ago. Getting to educate people first hand on what this curriculum is all about has been such a rewarding experience, and I love that I get to be a part of this movement both inside the school and outside!
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Claire

School Counselor from Illinois

We used the Level 2 platform/curriculum from Erika’s Lighthouse this fall in our mental health unit in health class with our entire student body (49 students). The student stories were especially helpful and engaging, as their diverse experiences really resonated with our students. The program prompted some incredible class conversations and reflections, and we feel it has fostered a lasting understanding of depression and suicide awareness. We’re grateful for the resources Erika’s Lighthouse provides—thank you for making this program accessible!
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Emily

Health Educator from Oregon

I’m not sure how often you get to hear the impact your work is having day to day, so I wanted to share a story with you of something that happened today. Four 8th graders stopped into my office to express concern over some things a friend had been posting on social media. I know this child has struggled with depression in the past (he self referred after an Erika’s lighthouse lesson a couple of years back) but his peers don’t know that. One of the students said “we are just worried about him because we remembered those symptoms of depression we learned from Erika’s Lighthouse (she actually remembered the name of the program because she’s been getting the lessons since 5th grade) and he seems to check a lot of the boxes”. I have known that the program has changed SN for a while now based on how many kids come talk to us about their own depression or with concerns about peers. But this was the first time a student actually identified the impact your specific program made on them. They got their last lesson in May 2023, so the information stuck with them for that long.
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Johanna Jacobson

School Counselor

We implemented some of the lessons this year and had some positive feedback. New, fresh, and easy-to-follow lessons were appreciated by our teachers. Thank you for the support!
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Luca

School Counselor from Tennessee

We love using Erika's lighthouse for our mandatory Suicide and depression materials to get out to students and families and have been using this program for several years now. We appreciate you for allowing us to continue to use the programming for our district.
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Jack

School Professional from Kentucky

Students have the option of three writing prompts. Two have to deal with either direct or indirect experiences with depression. The third option is to summarize what was in the video and discuss three important points other students should know. Some students don't feel comfortable writing about their own experiences or don't have any to write about which is why we provide this third option. Students seem to really enjoy the video either way! They often mention how they like the different representation of students, especially the young man who talks about having to 'wear the pants' in the family.
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Logan

Health Educator from New York

We have always felt supported by the amazing people at Erika's Lighthouse! We always receive quick responses to our questions and they are always willing to help!
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Layla

School Professional

I need to tell you how excellent your training is. Two years ago, I lost my first student to suicide. I was devastated. I didn't know the signs. I didn't know how to help if I would have seen the signs. I felt helpless. I would have paid for your training. I'm sharing with fellow teachers and my administration. Thank you. Thank you so much for being a source of hope.
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Maya

School Professional from Minnesota

I am more open minded and more comfortable with talking and opening up about this topic.
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Roman

Student

We actually just used the program for our Mental Health Wellness Day this past Wednesday. Students and staff really loved the content!
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Addison

School Counselor from Kentucky

The information is accurate. I led a parent workshop on April 26th for the PTA of our school. About 25 parents attended and a couple of them have more than one child in our school. I used the "We all have Mental Health" PPT Presentation for this workshop. Thank you for the wonderful resources available on your website. I look forward to using more of the products in the next school year.
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Joseph Pena

School Counselor from New York

I am so grateful to have had the privilege of providing our students with Erika's Lighthouse programming! It has made a world of difference in the lives of many of our students who use the information and insights to help themselves and others. I am amazed at how the program has developed and all of the excellent resources that are provided. I know the district is planning to continue using the program and possibly expanding the use of it so I am very happy about that! I am getting excited about retirement - after 34 years in education, I'm ready for my summer to be home and family focused. However, presenting the Erika's Lighthouse lessons is one of the things I will miss greatly. Thank YOU all for all you do - you are truly making a difference!
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Julian

School Counselor from Illinois

I LOVE Erika's Lighthouse and everything it is about. I was just telling another counselor about how I used it last year and had teachers with their lighthouses outside their classroom doors, etc. Of course, because of my name, it caught my attention and then, I just went from there. 🙂 Thank you for your support!!!
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Erika

School Counselor from South Carolina

I am able to empathize more and understand the role I can play to get others help.
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Madelyn

Student

I feel more confident to help someone or guide someone who has depression
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Hunter

Student

This year, I’ve incorporated some activities from the Erika’s Lighthouse resources page into various Life Skills and Values lessons for our students. I’ve also used specific activities, such as the "Footprints to the Counselor’s Office" and the "Take a Compliment" poster, to promote awareness and support. In total, these activities have reached approximately 300 middle school students across grades 6-8
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Eliana

School Counselor from International

This workshop shares great tips on what we can do to help children who are experiencing depression or thoughts of suicide. The power of listening to what our children have to say when it comes to their mental health, can be the difference between a moment of sadness or a lifelong battle with depression
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Omayra Nieves

School Professional from Illinois

The specific program we are using is the Level II- we broke up the lessons into the 3 days that were provided (signs and symptoms of depression, help seeking, coping strategies). The majority of our student population here is Asian American so the student stories (specifically Mason and Lindsay) have been very relatable and helpful!!!!!
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Kelly Backus

Health Educator from New York

My ability to help someone with depression has completely changed after the Erikas Lighthouse Program because I can see signs of depression, and I know who to call if I or someone else needs help.
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Cameron

Student

Great thank you, we love the program and can tell that it helps our students too!
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Riley

School Counselor from Delaware

Like many, running has been an incredible buoy for my own mental health. When I ran my first marathon in 2017, it felt only natural to partner with Erika’s Lighthouse. This year will be my 7th year running in support of ELH, and it continues to be an incredible way to alchemize the complex feelings that can come with taking care of your mental health, or supporting your family and friends in a similar journey. Donating to Erika’s Lighthouse is an investment in the resiliency of our youth, and a collective rising tide that believes mental health matters. Thank you for supporting our mission.
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Axel

Team Resilience Participant

Thank you SO much. The feedback has been incredibly positive, our staff reported that they learned so much and found the training so valuable and much more related to their work relative to the previous trainings.
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Eleanor

School Professional from California

Thank you all for providing such great resources for our students!
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Wyatt

School Professional from Georgia

We have been using these materials and so appreciate them. Everything from the parent letter down to the self-referral. Thank you so much for this
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William

Administrator

This program is evidenced-based, easy to understand, free, and seems to require little prep. It offers empowerment club options for students who are further interested in doing suicide prevention work. It offers family engagement strategies which is a huge component to successful suicide prevention work. I appreciate the "whole school culture" component as well as that is vital to implementing systemic changes in schools. There is representation of diverse group of young people in the slides and videos, and offers options for no gender identity disclosure. There are updated resources, such as national crisis line. It's available in English and Spanish!!
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Nova

School Professional from Oregon

I LOVE the resources and ideas presented at last week’s meeting. I came specifically so I could learn about the legislation mentioned in the title, but was just blown away with your website, and all the offerings. This school year we began hosting monthly webinar with our MTSS team called “BreakDown” and follow our resource, “BreakDown MTSS Planning Matrix” with monthly mental health topics and Tier One resources that support students, staff, families and local community events. I’m always looking for motivating ideas for activities that that improve culture on campus, and feel like the work being done by Erika’s Lighthouse is such an inspiration to me.
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Kym Barber

School Professional

I love this data center. We should aspire to have a data center like this.
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Isla

School Professional

The other day, I had printed out the document for tearing off a positive quote. The students at my school have already used them up!
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Brooklyn

School Professional from South Dakota

I always aim to pair the topic with actionable wellness activities Club Advisors can take back to their club/school campus — and that’s where “Take a Compliment” activity came into play. We truly enjoy incorporating Erika’s Lighthouse into our programming. We consistently encourage Club Advisors to explore your resources, register as an official or affiliate club, and integrate materials from the four (4) pillar model into their schools.
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Miles

School Social Worker

We are truly grateful for the wonderful resources you provide through the Erika’s Lighthouse website. Starting this academic year, our school will be using your materials in our homeroom program. We believe they will be a meaningful support for our students, and we are thankful in advance for the positive impact they will bring to our community. Thank you for your dedication and investment in students’ well-being.
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Mila

School Counselor from International

All the people and making friends! and also how we collaborated and shared new ideas to help are school community with mental health!
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Leilani

Student

Your site is filled with a variety of helpful tools. I'm the PK-5th grade principal. How do other elementary schools utilize your resources? I watched the suicide and depression staff training. It was very beneficial and thought provoking.
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David

Administrator from Oklahoma

We are using the one day depression education lesson in high school ROTC and 11th grade health classes. We added two of the program addition activities to break up the lesson and include an interactive, skill-building component - 'Having Supportive Conversations with Peers' and 'Text from a Friend'. We are receiving positive feedback from students and the team who facilitated the material.
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Jackson

School Professional

At the Advancing School Mental Health Conference, I stopped by the Erika's Lighthouse table and I loved the RECHARGE 5 minute classroom break cards! So awesome! I also loved that it talked about a mental health boost - such great language to use (versus mindfulness - which is also good but can have a negative connotation to it for some educators).
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Leo

School Professional from Kentucky

We will be using Erika's lighthouse. We have used ADAP in the past, but I just feel that the stories and the materials you have to offer are much more relevant and relatable to our kids. I do not have any questions at this time, the website and resources are great.
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Evelyn

School Professional from Illinois

My favorite part of being in our Empowerment Club is] being in a very nice community who all care about fighting the stigma
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Savannah

Student

I am no longer teaching Health, so I won't be a part of your fabulous curriculum. I really liked the entire program and so did the kids I used it with. They were 6th, 7th and 8th grade students. I am forever a fan and if there's any way I can help "get the word out" for Erika's Lighthouse please contact me.
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Ethan

Health Educator from Minnesota

meeting new people and knowing that I was helping many people along the way
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Ezekiel

Student

The program has been very well-received by both our staff and students. The materials are engaging, age-appropriate, and have been effective in starting important conversations about mental health. The teachers love the program because it is easy to implement while also providing quality instruction. Thank you again for keeping these essential programs free for school communities like ours. We look forward to using Erika's Lighthouse resources again this year.
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Hannah

School Counselor from Kentucky

Thank you!!!! The results are super helpful, and I like having the data as another talking point as to why these conversations matter!! I appreciate ALL that you do to support teen mental health 😊
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Carter

School Counselor from Ohio

I am using the Erika's Lighthouse resources in my 6th grade health classes as a way to end our mental health unit. These resources have served as great learning tools for our classroom.
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Avery

Health Educator from Ohio

I very much appreciate your resources b/c they are wonderful and free!!! We are a small 1A school in Kansas and typically don't have a lot of funds for resources such as this!
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Lillian

School Counselor

We did the lesson to about 500 total 8th grade students between the two schools. We all loved the student stories and students seemed to really be invested and participated in discussion when we got to the student stories.
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Josiah

School Counselor

It has shifted my perspective of depression and also taught me of some of the signs of depression that I can recognize in friends so I can get support them and help them get proper treatment
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Broadie

Student

Erika's lighthouse gave me real insight through the stories of the people in the video.
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Kennedy

Student

This program kept me interested and informed and I really appreciate that I can now help myself or someone I know who may be struggling with depression.
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Colton

Student

My colleagues and I presented to faculty and staff at the at professional development sessions at each of our schools with the plan for incorporating mental health programming into the 2024-2025 school year. Faculty and staff in NCCVT continue to register for Erika’s Lighthouse and complete the introductory training. They also have access to the implementation video and teacher reference guide. Our Instructional Coaches have created Schoology folders for faculty that will be delivering the content. They have also created a Schoology Course for our students. As a district, we have framed our movement forward with adopting and implementing Erika’s Lighthouse mental health programming as an ‘all hands on deck’ endeavor. Moving beyond legislative compliance, we are utilizing the resources from your organization to increase the mental health literacy of our students and to further build the capacity of our faculty and staff to recognize potential mental health needs and refer to the best possible resource for support. Draft parent/family letters to parents, with embedded links to resources, have been prepared in English and Spanish (based on the templates provided on the Erika’s Lighthouse website)
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Sophia

School Professional from Delaware

I just wanted to let you know that we taught the Level III program to our 11th graders on Monday. Today we are doing the Level II program for all of our 7th graders. We love the program!
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Jayden

School Counselor from Pennsylvania

Love the updates to the resource portal. We are going to be down a social worker this year in my building so I am going solo this year. Due to my services in the building being reduced, I have already completed my Depression Awareness presentation with my junior high students and was grateful to be able to use the website in the presentation. I also utilize some of the resources you have on the portal in some of my small groups too for some of my kids that are struggling with anxiety, depression and mood regulation. Lots of great resources so thank you!
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Nolan

School Social Worker

After teaching the lessons, I see a large increase in students self-reporting and reports regarding friends/classmates who they have noticed some changes with and think they need check-ins from the counselor. The program has a positive impact on students becoming more aware about mental health and importance of addressing it sooner than later. It is slowly taking away the "stigma" of seeking help from counselors or trusted adults at school. My work load increased significantly after the lessons, yet I don't mind because my students are noticing and addressing their mental health in a positive and healthy manner. I am thankful for all the work that is happening with the program!
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Grace

School Counselor from International

I am half way through. I think it is very well laid out. I am using this for the 6th grade level and I see that it is 4th-6th. It is a bit "little kid" but the kids haven't said anything and a part of me thinks it is almost more appropriate. I've enjoyed the logistical side, the colorful handouts and just the ease of implementing it. Thank it. I will fill out the form when we are done!!
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Daniel

Health Educator from Oregon

We shared the Conversation Cards with our families in our May Mental Health Awareness Month counseling newsletter that was shared with all of our families. We have 1707 students enrolled with us. It seemed like the easiest lift for our busy families and we appreciated the multiple languages. Thanks!
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Grayson

School Counselor from Washington

For our PD I used the staff training video, it was amazing!!!
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Thomas

School Counselor from Missouri

In the month of September the high school mental health clinician utilized the Give Voice tools to educate around Suicide Awareness at the Tier 1 schoolwide level. At our high school, we just engaged in a High School Student Safety Training day that included all 9-12th graders engaging in safety education in seminar type classes around physical and emotional health including CPR/AED/First AID-stop the bleed, Erika's Lighthouse Level III Depression Education & Suicide Awareness, and school violence prevention with OK2Say presenting. Time was also spent practicing a fire drill, tornado drill, lockdown drill, and evacuation procedures. This was the first time I facilitated the classroom education presentation, but found it to be a great fit for what we wanted to educate our students on today. I am looking forward to seeing the data from the Pre and Post Education Surveys! We also will be moving forward with connecting regarding beginning an Empowerment Club. I am truly appreciating the data connection for our prevention efforts around student mental health that Erika's Lighthouse provides! Thank you!
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Devon Raap

School Social Worker from Michigan

I’m proud to support Erika’s Lighthouse because I believe all students should have access to quality mental health education. Mental health and depression are often difficult topics to discuss at any age, especially for adolescent students. So when I learned how scalable, sustainable, and impactful [Erika's Lighthouse’s programs are, I knew I wanted to be involved at a deeper level and joined the Corporate Advisory Committee. The sheer number of students whose lives are positively impacted by [Erika's Lighthouse’s] educational programs and Empowerment Clubs is inspiring, due in large part to the ever-evolving and approachable curriculum. I’m excited to see how [Erika's Lighthouse] can expand its reach and provide even more education as we enter this next chapter of growth.
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Lukas Kubon

Donor

I'll be going into 5 classrooms in October. Our kids responded very well to the curriculum last year and the teacher has agreed to have me back in the classroom this year. Thank you for making pre and post data so easy! Have a great rest of the week!
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Lincoln

School Counselor from California

Thanks so much for your time and all these resources! What a treasure trove. I am really excited to help my students educate others about mental health.
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John

School Counselor from California

I have used the materials in my classroom this year! The resources are phenomenal and so age appropriate especially with my students who have a lot of trauma in their lives.
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Harper

School Professional from New York

My school counselor loves that we get a few kids filling out the cards at the end of the lesson requesting to see her. We often get a few that haven't reached out before so we call that success!
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Joanna Schultz

Health Educator from Michigan

I had the opportunity to speak at the NCCVT School Board meeting last night where Dr. Spoor, the Director of Student Services, and I presented each of our school principals with the Erika’s Lighthouse Peggy Kubert Model School in Mental Health Excellence certificates. I appreciate you, Katie Conklin and the team from Erika’s Lighthouse recognizing each of our schools here in NCCVT!
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Isabella

Administrator from Maryland

I have REALLY enjoyed this program and am so happy that it was recommended to me! I have transitioned my 6th grade class to the Level II lessons and we are just getting started on those. The program is very engaging and I appreciate the videos, discussion questions, and activities
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Mandy Bucklin

School Counselor from South Dakota

I plan to use the four day lessons again for grades 5/6, 7/8 and my 9th grade health class. Thank you for the resources, I rely heavily on them and I know that students find value in them.
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Mason

Health Educator from California

We are very thankful for the programs you provide and use them to enlighten our students as to what potential dangers are out there!! Thank You for providing such insightful programming for our students!
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Luna

School Professional

High quality, substantive material. Appreciate that it's offered in Spanish!
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Owen

School Social Worker from Oregon

I am planning to use the Erika’s Lighthouse Program with my 7th grade health classes this year. I am loving the updated version with more student videos and the diversity of the student perspectives.
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Abigail

Health Educator from New York

Thank you! They really get invested with the material and it's so engaging which is obviously amazing. I appreciate all of the wonderful resources!
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Scarlett

Health Educator from Massachusetts

We are using your program and I am happy to share that the school my own children attend took Erika's Lighthouse training over the summer. So glad to hear your message and support is spreading and reaching so many schools in RI.
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Adrian

School Social Worker from Rhode Island

We just used Erika's Lighthouse last week with our freshmen health classes and it went very well. We have found the Erika's Lighthouse curriculum to be very useful in educating our students on mental health and suicide prevention. We definitely would like to continue to use it in the future.
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Keith Huhn

School Social Worker

Working in a special day school program, where all students have IEPs centered around behavior and emotional disabilities, having the Erika's Lighthouse curriculum was vital to start our school year and orient ourselves in understanding the connection we all have to depression and suicide. Many of our students at our school are diagnosed, but they do not necessarily recognize that there are many others going through the same thing. We were able to help our students see the connections between each other and how they may help themselves, while also supporting others in our school. Additionally, we loved that it was FREE!
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Nicole

School Social Worker

I am now more open minded towards those suffering with depression and I also now have better references to refer friends to seek help.
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Autumn

Student

Most teachers in grades 7-8 and Health 1 said they planned to field test Erika's Lighthouse in lieu of the currently approved suicide prevention curriculum they normally use in those grades. They said they thought the Erika's Lighthouse curricula was more accessible for teachers and more relatable to students than the programs they've used in the past. Thank you for having a skills-based program available at no cost.
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Ryan

School Professional

I just wanted to share that I think your cause is incredibly important. When I was 14, I didn’t even know what depression was. Struggling with mental health at that age, and feeling like it isn’t “normal” or not fully understanding what’s happening, was very isolating and scary. The work you’re doing to integrate education about mental health into schools is very empowering and so needed. My personal connection to this cause is why I would do everything I can to ensure my fundraising goal is met, and hopefully exceeded. I’m a big planner, and I like to start things early and give them my full effort. I am so excited about possibly being on Team Resilience 2026!
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Easton

Team Resilience Participant

I greatly appreciate the work you are doing to share this with students. They are loving it! The teachers have also said it is very appropriate and valuable for the kids.
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Joseph

Administrator from Pennsylvania

We did not use the Erika's Lighthouse programming at Discovery this year, but we did connect another elementary school in St. Cloud with the Teen Empowerment group at Apollo. The Apollo group had student volunteers go into 5th grade classrooms to talk with kids about feelings and coping skills-introducing the topic of mental health. They presented in each classroom 3 times- impacting 60-70 students. I'm not sure if you can use those numbers for your reporting, but it definitely had a positive impact on those classrooms, so hopefully you can record the numbers. We have had many more classrooms show interest, but we haven't been able to find enough teen helpers to meet the need. We will keep trying though! Thanks for checking in.
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Jacob

School Professional from Minnesota

I have received such great feedback for the youth suicide resources we are utilizing in our district this year. (Clay County Public Schools in Manchester, KY). Our district is in rural Appalachia, and some of our schools are significantly smaller than others. Please note that 100% of our 6-12th grade student body enrolled in each school is participating in Erika's Lighthouse. Again, thanks for all that you do to help keep our kids safe!
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Elias

School Professional from Kentucky

We do continue to use the Erika's Lighthouse curriculum in our sophomore PE classes. We have a PE Leader program, in which junior and senior students are in all PE classes and these leaders are trained every year and then facilitate the curriculum in our health classes so all of our sophomores are exposed to it. It's been wonderful! We've woven it into our curriculum with health and wellness. -Downers Grove North
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Kat

School Professional

We have used many of your resources and lesson/video clips this year as we pushed out our suicide prevention and mental wellness lessons to our 6-12th grade students. Thank you for the excellent resources and the easy access to all the material. We will be sharing more of your material this week as well as passing out the bookmarks you provide.
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Samuel

School Social Worker from Kentucky

September has certainly been our "Erika's Lighthouse month." So far we have implemented the programming in two of our elementary schools this year (4th grade), and one middle school (7th grade). We are planning several other schools this semester as well as Spring semester. Thank you for your support.
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Chloe

School Professional from Georgia

We will be using Erika's Lighthouse starting next week. This semester we will be impacting 25 students and families with the educational resources you have provided. I also look forward to using the program because I believe it presents difficult topics in the best way possible. I've used the program the last several years and continue to be impressed by the impact it can have on our students. We have been working through a mental health unit and will be using Erika's Lighthouse to help explain not only depression education, but stress the importance of self-care and advocacy. Thank you for all the work you and your team does to help our students!
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Sophie

Health Educator from Ohio

Looking forward to implementing the program. I can't tell you how much we appreciate Erika's Lighthouse being 100% free. I have shared your program with my Alabama state Mental Health Services Coordinators. Expect to be receiving some good data from AL this year!
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Aria

School Professional from Alabama

I finished our unit, and it went really well. I had some amazing discussions, and I am glad that the students were really into the information and had such a good time talking about it. I will be doing this unit again next year!
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Sofia

Health Educator from Arizona

I have enjoyed using Erika's Lighthouse lessons with my students. These lessons are ready to go and incredibly simple to use. The lessons include the student perspective, which is so valuable. My students have shared that the lessons are a great opportunity for them to talk about mental health with peers. So many students would not experience this without Erika's Lighthouse.
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Jillian

School Counselor

For the 24-25 school year, I really enjoyed the updated versions of the videos and the viniettes of the students! I loved being able to let the students chose which stories they wanted to learn more about. I think there was a great amount of different identities represented within the students that my students could relate to.
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Naomi

School Professional from Massachusetts

I wanted to take a moment to share an important and deeply meaningful win that occurred following yesterday’s wellness lessons on mental health. Shortly after the presentation, a 4th grade student asked to check in. During our conversation, she was able to bravely share thoughts of suicide—something she had not previously felt safe or ready to express. Because of the lesson and the safe space it created, she found the courage to speak up. As a result, we were able to immediately ensure her safety and connect her with appropriate mental health resources. It was a powerful reminder of how essential these lessons are, and how impactful it can be—especially when it comes to early intervention and emotional support. Thank you for your continued support of these wellness efforts. Yesterday was a win in every sense of the word.
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Theodore

School Professional

The event went great! The kids had a blast, and multiple staff and students have contacted me about the boost in energy they are bringing in the building.
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Aiden

School Professional from New Hampshire

I am the district wide clinical social worker for Clay County Public Schools. We are utilizing Erika's Lighthouse for grades 6-12, after discovering it on the Kentucky Department of Education approved trainings list. I actually watched the videos before we returned to school, and was very impressed with the quality of the training for our kids.
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Benjamin

School Social Worker from Kentucky

I shared your Family Workbook 2 with a parent of a student who I assessed for suicidal ideation and posted your suicide awareness posters during September. Your Family Workbook 2 is a great resource for me to share with families of students who may be struggling with SI. Thank you!
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Zoey

School Counselor from Illinois

I usually do a footprint activity after discussing depression. Students will include facts about depression and put their message on a footprint. I line the footprints up leading to the counseling office. I got the idea off of your website several years ago. My students love this activity! I'll send you a picture!
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Sebastian

Health Educator from Washington

Running and fundraising for Team Resilience and Erika’s Lighthouse is deeply personal for me. As a teenager, I lost one of my best friends to suicide—a loss that has had a lifelong impact on how I understand mental health, connection, and the urgency of prevention. As an educator, I see every day how many students and families are touched by mental health challenges. That’s why I choose to run for Erika’s Lighthouse specifically. Their mission—to provide free, accessible mental health education—is not just important, it’s essential. Knowing that my miles are helping turn school communities into beacons of hope is incredibly powerful. The Team Resilience community is filled with others who carry their own stories, their own motivations, and their own hopes for change. It’s a community grounded in purpose, compassion, and action—and I’m proud to be part of it.
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Will

Team Resilience Participant

Love using your resources! So user friendly and I think applicable to students! Currently using it with my 9th graders.
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Kinsley

School Professional from Washington

I had the chance to review Erika’s Lighthouse programs, and I must say, they are an amazing resource. We’re thrilled to have access to such thoughtful and well-designed materials that can support mental health education
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Maverick

School Counselor from International

I used the Erika's Lighthouse middle school program with all 8th graders in my school (191). Thank you so much for this quality, free program. It truly prepares my students to help themselves and each other.
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Camila

School Professional from Massachusetts

I wanted to thank you for the Mental Health Recharge Tool and to let you know that I love it and have shared it with all staff and families at Lenart.
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Gabriel

School Counselor from Illinois

We're incredibly thankful for this program and have seen much benefit in having open conversations about depression with our students. Thanks again, for sharing this curriculum with us!
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Aaliyah

School Social Worker from Ohio

Thank you both for being so accessible through our piloting and facilitator training for Erika's Lighthouse! Over the last 2 weeks, we have implemented at Legacy Knoll Middle School (7th) and North Jackson Elementary School (4th)! I wanted to share a quote from one of our LKMS Counselors: "As we're wrapping up our [week self-referrals] for the ELH pilot, so many of our kiddos have mentioned that they related to the information presented, but they've never known how to actually describe it. We've had so many open and honest conversations about depression, general sadness, and how to cope. It makes a huge difference!"
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Ellie

School Professional from Georgia

I recommend Erika's Lighthouse all the time! Thanks for all you do! PS, Henry, my student who is in your latest video, is doing really well and says, “Hi!”
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Stella

School Counselor from Tennessee

Erika's Lighthouse has developed a mental wellness and suicide awareness and prevention program that is accessible and acceptable to educators and youth and also incorporates effective pedagogical techniques for today's youth and adult learners. The evaluation data from our multi-state implementation of Erika's Lighthouse suggest that after only a single session of Erika's Lighthouse, youth improve in their understanding of mental health, school connectedness, and ability/willingness to connect with trusted adults. Our schools are fortunate to have this mental health curriculum that is evidence-informed, youth- and adult-friendly, and available at no cost.
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Emily Graybill

Community Partner

I am happy to share how Erika's lighthouse has been such a wonderful experience here at Marco Antonio Firebaugh High School. My intern started an empowerment club. The club is made up of 9 student who have taken the task to promote mental health awareness at our campus. They have participated in events such as black history month, women's appreciation month, and they are getting ready for MH awareness in May. Please note that with Erika's Lighthouse support we have been able to promote this club. The grant that was given to our club has helped for our activities that the club does for the school. I would like to express my gratitude to Erika's lighthouse. The positive impact that this program makes at all schools is unmeasurable. Thank you all for what you do.
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Natalie

School Professional from California

We got great feedback from our school sites about the content and our students seemed to respond very well. Actually, this is our first year in a very long time that we did not have a student suicide and we consider Erika's Lighthouse to be one of the contributing factors.
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Ezra

School Counselor from Oklahoma

It's easy to get excited about resources like yours that are so relevant, easy-to-implement, and impactful (most importantly!)!!
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Hudson

School Professional

It’s been a busy year, especially with my research thesis. Leading an Empowerment Club alongside is my passion and feels very rewarding. I really appreciate your support!
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Emma

School Professional from International

I choose to run for Team Resilience because this mission is deeply personal to me. Looking back, I wish someone had taught me more about mental health when I was younger. That is why the work of Erika’s Lighthouse matters so much to me. Their mental health education gives students the vocabulary, awareness, and hope that so many young people desperately need. I started running for suicide awareness in 2022 after experiencing suicide in my family, while also navigating my own struggles with depression. Running became a powerful part of my healing. It gave me a way to move through grief, pain, and hopelessness, and it helped me discover strength I didn’t know I had. Now, every mile I run and every dollar I raise is connected to a larger purpose: helping keep this mission alive and thriving for youth who may be struggling in silence, just like I once was. I run because I believe students deserve to know they are not alone. I run because mental health education can save lives. And I run because Erika’s Lighthouse is helping turn schools into places of hope, awareness, and support. It is an honor to be part of Team Resilience and to use running as a way to support this life changing work.
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Skylar

Team Resilience Participant

We utilize Erika's Lighthouse a great deal throughout the year. We are so thankful for your support!
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Charlotte

School Professional from New Mexico

I was sooo thankful for your lessons. There is very little time to plan to put together my own lessons. This website and your information was, truly, a Godsend. The material was very relevant; the handouts were appreciated.
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Gianna

School Professional

I’m taking the Erika’s Lighthouse pledge this month to help myself set time aside to take care of myself. I find that self-care is often so overlooked, especially in school or work environments, and it truly should be a much more talked about and important aspect of everyone’s daily life. Pledging with Erika’s Lighthouse will remind me to take time for myself and help me improve my well-being and health, both physically and mentally. I urge everyone to participate and to always remember to prioritize yourself and your wellness, especially when you’re busy!
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Christian

Student

Previously, I had used the video and lesson for Level 2 for everybody. I changed it up so that I would have a plan for every year and not have to reinvent the wheel. The lessons worked well for the assigned grade levels. My geeky self enjoyed seeing how the students from the Level 2 video had grown and seemed to be doing well in the Level 3 video. After you watch the videos so many times in a day, you get a little emotionally invested! Thank you to Erika's Lighthouse for providing these resources for a tough topic.
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Pat Facemire

School Counselor from West Virginia

Just wanted to let you know that the resources are amazing. I've shared them with my Health & PE staff and all I keep hearing is positive things. Thank you so much for sharing and providing support around mental wellness and suicide prevention. I really appreciate it.
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Alexander

School Professional

I used the online videos where real teens talked about their personal stories with depression and interventions that helped them. I love these videos! They are so good and real, and I appreciate those who are in the videos. It takes courage to share these stories. Thanks for all you do for Erika's Lighthouse. I always share this resource with others in the field, and in my personal life too.
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Olivia

School Social Worker from Kentucky

I have really enjoyed utilizing the program resources to teach the students awareness of the topic for themselves and their peers. The materials are age-appropriate, relevant, and helpful. Kristi mentioned that there might be some additional videos for next school year.
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Paisley

School Counselor from Ohio

It has been wonderful seeing how the Level III EL programming used in my Health classes has inspired young people to act. I grew up in Northfield so this organization and message are something I have always deeply valued. I was lucky enough to be involved with this programming as a student in middle school and high school as well.
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Michelle Orth

School Professional

I am using Erika's Lighthouse curriculum for my 6th and 8th-grade students. It is such a wonderful resource and helpful for students who are struggling with depression or just poor mental health.
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Amy Ohligschlager

School Professional

We will be using both the Level 1 and Level 2 programs as our school is K-8th grade. For the Level 1 program, 4th-6th grades, I will have approximately 60 students total. For the Level 2 program, 7th-8th grades, I will have approximately 40 students. The more I look into this program and all its content, the more impressed I am! Thank you for providing needed content for our students!
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Dylan

School Counselor from Missouri

Thank you so much for doing what you do and providing such great materials. You make our job as counselors easier by giving us lessons that are engaging and developmentally appropriate. I appreciate you!
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Ivy

School Counselor from Ohio

BTW, thanks again for the Easy-to-use activities. I have printed all three and plan to have the students choose at least one that we can do this month.
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Noah

School Professional from Kansas

"The staff loved the training! I received a lot of good feedback and it worked so nicely to have tge videos available to offset the additional information I was presenting. I can't thank you and Erika's Lighthouse enough for being a support for our school!"
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April Miller, PhD

School Professional

As part of the process to become a bat mitzvah, I worked on a tikkun olam project. Tikkun olam means "repairing the world," so it is a service project, which is considered a mitzvah or a good deed. For my tikkun olam, I'm working with Erika's Lighthouse because I've experienced mental health challenges and I want to support an organization that is trying to help people through their struggles. I've made lotus flower keychains that I'm selling for $10 each. Lotus flowers are the symbol for mental health, representing how to overcome challenges and still bloom and grow in harsh conditions. Over $4000 has been raised so far!
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Aaron

Student from Illinois

Good morning from the American School of Bombay in Mumbai, India. Erika’s Lighthouse has been a staple in both our health and counseling curricula – specially, the units pertaining to teen depression and suicide prevention. The videos and activities (student scenarios, etc.) are well received by our students and we are all in awe of the courage and poise of the young students featured in your training videos. Thank you for all the good work you are doing around the world!
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Lucy

School Counselor from International

Evidence based, free of cost, stigma-free and peer-centric, diverse reflection of various student populations, flexible, ready-to-use resources, comprehensive suicide prevention content. Also available in Spanish.
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Luke

School Professional from Oregon

I think Erika's Lighthouse does a wonderful job supporting clubs! The resource portal is extremely helpful and provides a ton of fantastic activities for programming needs.
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Elijah

School Professional

The video you sent is indeed very impactful, recognizing these are real people talking about their own real problems in a way that should make others feel it’s OK to feel like that and to seek help. The segments about how to handle it are really useful too as many wouldn’t know how to do it well. The same insights would be useful to those of us who might be trusted adults some day.
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Lucas

Donor

The school counselor and I did Level 3 (one day) in 2 days per grade during their 37 min PE/Health classes. We had about 45-50 students in the gym per session. We did break out small groups (5 groups with us, PE and health each leading a group) during day 2. We gave out 988 bracelets and hung up large Erik's lighthouse posters and I put a 988 banner and the QR code for student services on them as well. We also used the referral cards and had about 35 (10%) request to be seen after. This year we did not do anything for staff other than give them a 988 bracelet. Hoping we can for next year. Let me know if you have more questions. Erika's Lighthouse is a great program!!! And such a blessing to our students!
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Ruby

School Social Worker from Texas

We will be using Erika's Lighthouse again this year- I love the program, especially the fact that materials are available in Spanish.
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Lily

School Professional from Colorado

We have roughly over 1,000 students using Erika's Lighthouse resources. The lessons are taught to all of our 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. We love the updates to the lessons that happened recently, it has made your great lessons even better.
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Caleb

School Professional from Illinois

I am so glad we were able to get more info on Erika's Lighthouse. Our students were very excited. One of our students is already going to meet with the Principal to do a presentation to the Staff about 1 of the programs. She is very excited. The principal is very interested in the project also
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Elizabeth

School Professional from Maryland

I cannot thank you enough for having this curriculum available free of charge. It's such an important lesson for our 4th and 5th graders. Having worked as a middle school counselor and understanding the impact of transitions as a risk factor it is so important that we talk about this topic before students move up to the 6th grade. Having the empowerment club come with funding is such a big deal for a Title School like mine where the budget doesn't allow for spending on school wide events and honestly most any tier I supports. Thank you again for all that you do and all the program allows us counselors to do in support of even our youngest kiddos
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Matthew

School Counselor from Washington

There are no specific staff training's in my district that provide training's such as this. I appreciate that not only this training being free, but I actually learned things from it.
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Bella

School Professional from Minnesota

I am taking the Positivity Pledge because I believe that mental health is a crucial part to one's well-being. Although my mental health can often feel out of my control, I know there are ways I can improve my mental health by developing a positive mindset filled with gratitude. As a high school student, I find myself spending more time worrying then I do in the present moment. The Positivity Pledge will be a space for me to better live in the moment! I encourage others to participate in the Positivity Pledge to discover new ways to improve their mental health and destress from all of life's worries, so that they can enjoy the blessings life has to offer.
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Alice

Student from Michigan

I used to think that depression was not a real thing and that people were just coming up with excuses to get out of stuff but now I realize that it is a real problem and people who have it actually need help.
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Josephine

Student

I must take the time to express my deepest gratitude for the incredible work you do through Erika's Lighthouse. I've used other mental health programs in the past that were not only expensive but also ineffective and lacking in meaningful resources. The services you offer have a profound, positive impact on students' wellbeing worldwide, and I genuinely believe they save lives. Here at the American School of Antananarivo, I have many students on my caseload who are directly benefiting from your resources. Living and learning in Madagascar comes with unique challenges—our students and families navigate political instability, inconsistent access to water and electricity, and the realities of daily life in a developing country. Beyond that, as an international school with high mobility, many of our students go through a grieving process each year as they say goodbye to friends they may never see again. These transitions, combined with the typical challenges of adolescence, make mental health support not just important—it's essential. Teaching mental health awareness is challenging work. The content can be triggering for some students, and finding the right approach requires both care and expertise. What I deeply appreciate about your curriculum is the way the information is presented. It doesn't just help students understand what to do in an emergency or how to simply "be okay"—it teaches them how to thrive. That distinction is everything, especially for students navigating such complex circumstances. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. You truly are a lighthouse, especially during times that may seem impossibly dark to so many of our young people. The work you do matters more than words can express.
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Emilia

School Counselor from International

It's so fun to be able to organize these activities with and for my students. As a Title 1 school the funding for "non-necessary" activities is so limited.
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James

School Professional from Washington

Absolutely! This was so ground-breaking for our school... we have never had a club like this before! It was amazing to see how our students took it and ran with it. One reason I truly love being a club advisor is because I became a known entity to more than just my students. When I am in the hallway, students know who I am and they know that I am an advocate for mental health. I love knowing that I am a safe person to so many more students!
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Asher

School Social Worker

I want you all to know that our suicide attempt rate as measured by the YRBS, went down from 14.3% to between 5.4-7.2% since using your videos and the messages from your curriculum. We continue to be very impressed by your videos, website, and curriculum.
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Michael Altekruse

School Professional

I am such a huge believer that Erika's Lighthouse is saving so many young lives because you reach out and get through to kids. You make it easy, understandable and cool. I imagine kids do not reach out for help unless they know they are not alone. They don’t research depression. We have to go get them and that is what you are doing! Again, I LOVE this and everything you are doing. Keep up the amazing work and I will keep some funds coming. -Bryan Polletta, Frankie V Polletta Foundation
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Bryan Polletta

Foundation Partner

I use We All Have Mental Health in 6th. Its a wonderful program and the best available. I have been teaching 31 years.
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Jennifer DiPalo

Health Educator from New York

Parents were really moved by the important information shared in the workshop. It is vital that our community is aware of the warning signs to look for with their children.
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Jonathan Fisher

School Professional from Illinois

Thank you so much, and thank you for thinking of our staff needs too. We presented to all of our 7th graders in their individual classrooms and the materials and presentation were so well prepared I loved teaching it. The kids were SO engaged, even the more restless ones. The only thing we added was some statistics on teens and depression and suicidal ideation. I appreciate your organization so much! I’m going to reach out to my kids’ school (in Oak Park) to see if they use your materials and if they don’t, they should!
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Jaxon

School Counselor from Illinois

I like the Teen Toolbox! I like that’s interactive and students can work through the Toolbox on their own!
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Steve Shields

School Professional

Your programs are amazing...Your material is so well done and current! Thank you for providing this free of charge for us!
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Audrey

School Social Worker from Colorado

We were able to present to 385 out of 386 5th grade student in the Neosho Middle school. This material was more grade appropriate than our previous material. There were less false positives with our exit tickets. We will be using this course with our 5th grade students from here on out.
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Delilah

School Professional

I plan to progress with my students through Level 3 next week. Your resources are outstanding so I do feel prepared for the most part. There is always something in a first time effort that I'd hope to improve on but I'm confident that I can deliver these materials effectively and that is largely thanks to your preparation and support materials. We have worked to establish norms already this semester and even though these discussions may and likely will be difficult, I do feel that we're prepared to respect each other and utilize additional support when needed. Thank you again for reaching out and for the effort to present these materials and support this process!
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Ella

Health Educator from Vermont

I have really enjoyed utilizing the program resources to teach the students awareness of the topic for themselves and their peers. The materials are age-appropriate, relevant, and helpful. Kristi mentioned that there might be some additional videos for next school year.
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Isaiah

School Counselor from Ohio

We had really positive responses from students and teachers who implemented the lesson. They found the materials well put together, teacher-friendly, and like it did a great job of touching upon a sensitive and potentially triggering topic. We have around 1100 students at Burlington-Edison. We adapted Level 1 for high school students and ran that first and then the following week ran Level 3. We're planning to do it again next year!
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Everly

School Counselor from Washington

I used Erika's Lighthouse curriculum for the entire month of September for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month! I love how engaging it is for our students! I taught the coping skills lessons from both elementary and middle school curriculums!
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Zoe

School Counselor from Illinois

Thank you for allowing us to be a part of the Erikas Lighthouse mission. The impact your curriculum has made on our students is immeasurable. Looking forward to seeing our collaborations success again next year!
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Aurora

School Counselor from Illinois

We have started implementing the Erika’s Lighthouse program at other schools and absolutely love it. The resources have been incredibly valuable, and we appreciate the support you provide.
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Madison

School Social Worker from Ohio

We have reviewed the training videos the first week, dove deeper into slide 20, Training Module 2, "What would you say and do?" the second week. This week, we are reviewing AAA to plan our activities. The resource portal is gold! Thank You.
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Victoria

School Social Worker from Illinois

My ability has changed for the better because now I have a better background on the topic. With my more in depth knowledge of the topic I can confidently help others with depression.
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Landon

Student

Yes, we will be using Erika’s Lighthouse programs in our 9th-grade health classes again this school year. We truly value all of the resources that Erika's Lighthouse makes available for schools! We have no questions at this time.
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Ginger

School Professional from Illinois

My club is great and the highlight of my week as a counselor. These students have really come together to form a tight group. They are the odd, quirky students that need a place to belong and they found each other. We promoted such good messages and really uplifted our school community. I love the role I get to take in being an advisor and watching these students grow
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Andrew

School Counselor from California

Thanks so much to the Erika's Lighthouse team for the incredible resources! We received so much positive feedback on the videos.
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Ester Deth

School Professional from California

For depression, I always recommend the Erika's Lighthouse materials. Very good videos, come with slideshows that you can edit ans some good activities to choose from. Free to educators. Updated, accurate information with the goals of having students recognize the symptoms of depression in themselves and their friends and feel empowered and able to seek help.
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Levi

School Professional

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Allison Manley

School Social Worker from Illinois