Healthy Minds, Happy Students

12 Mar 2019    

In February, we hosted our 7th annual Critical Issues Forum at Southeast Community College. This year, the event brought together more than 100 faculty, students, researchers, and practitioners for a day of sharing around Healthy Minds, Healthy Communities: Understanding and Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Students. This year has the largest registered attendance in Forum history and even though there was a blizzard many came out and enjoyed themselves while learning more about mental health and how to help students.

The forum focused on the mental health in pertinence to P-20 education and the impact it has on students. In our world today, mental health is an extremely relevant issue that should be addressed across the entire educational system. So the forum provided an opportunity for P-20 educators and administrators, community organizations, researchers and anyone wanting to learn more about mental health and its impact on education, programs and/or initiatives and services they might provide, as well as provide a wonderful networking opportunity.

Thank you to our many presenters who gave their time to educate us on topics of mental health.

Kailey Kocourek is the Project Coordinator from The Kim Foundation. She coordinates the Metro Area LOSS Team and provides mental health awareness and suicide prevention education in the community.

Elliot Tebbe is an Assistant Professor in Counseling Psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). Elliot’s research investigates the contextual factors that relate to the intersection of identity and health in sexual and gender minority populations.

Kyle McGowan and Dr. Keith Rohwer both retired Nebraska Superintendents who are ambassadors for Nebraska Loves Public Schools and work at Nebraska Council of School Administrators.

Theresa Webster is the Dean of Students/Assistant Campus Director at Southeast Community College for and is responsible for the development and oversight of student conduct, mental health services, behavioral intervention/threat assessment team, campus safety, career services, disability services and prevention and wellness activities.

Dr. Travis Miller is serving his eighth year as the Superintendent of Bayard Public Schools in Bayard, Nebraska and has implemented focused initiatives in his district to assist and work with students with mental health needs.

Dr. Jill Timmons is currently the Special Education Director and School Psychologist for Fairbury Public Schools and has worked closely with Dr. Miller in the implementation of his initiatives.
Connie Boehm is Director of Big Red Resilience and Well-being (BRRWB) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. BRRWB provides dynamic, innovative activities that promote emotional well-being and build resilience to students on campus

Dr. Carrizales is a nationally certified school psychologist and licensed psychologist who is the director of Behavioral/Mental Health at ESU 13 in Scottsbluff, NE.  Dr. Carrizales serves as the primary supervisor at Educational Services Unit #13

The Forum was collaboratively sponsored by EDAD, Southeast Community College, the Nebraska State Education Association, and the Nebraska Council of School Administrators.