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Dr. Mark Weist and the Behavioral Alliance of South Carolina have led the charge on best practices in school-based mental health. Dr. Weist’s team shared the latest strategies for suicide prevention in K12 schools. 

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Mark D. Weist received a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Virginia Tech in 1991 after completing his internship at Duke University and is a Professor in Clinical-Community and School Psychology in the Department of Psychology at the University of South Carolina. He was on the faculty of the University of Maryland for 19 years where he helped to found and direct the Center for School Mental Health (www.schoolmentalhealth.org), providing leadership to the advancement of school mental health (SMH) policies and programs in the United States. He has edited or developed 14 books and has published and presented widely in SMH and in the areas of trauma, violence, and youth, evidence-based practice, cognitive behavioral therapy, Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS), and on an Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF) for SMH and PBIS. He is currently co-leading a regional conference on school behavioral health (reflecting integrated SMH and PBIS), and leading two randomized controlled trials exploring strategies to improve the effectiveness and impacts of these programs. 

 

Erin Scherder is a Licensed Psycho-Educational Specialist and School Psychologist practicing advocacy for mental health and wellness for students, families, and community.

 

June Headley Greenlaw, M.Ed. is the Consortium Manager for the Research Consortium on Children and Families at the University of South Carolina. Ms. Greenlaw works on multiple research projects, including the Behavioral Alliance of South Carolina (BASC) with Dr. Weist and his team. She is a member of the Leadership Team and has an advising role in all aspects of the project. Ms. Greenlaw helps to coordinate the Realm 1 activities, including the Southeastern School Behavioral Health Conference.

 

Taylor Davis Ed.S, LPC serves as Program Manager for the Behavioral Alliance of South Carolina (BASC). Prior to taking a leadership role with BASC she served as School Suicide Prevention Program Coordinator for the SAMHSA GLS Grant implementing comprehensive prevention strategies in SC schools and communities.

 

All Fireside Chats are hosted by Robyn Hussa Farrell, MFA, E-RYT

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Fireside Chats fulfill training requirements for SC Foster Parent Association certification.  To qualify, foster parents should attend the live or recorded session, then email Robyn Hussa Farrell at rfarrell@sharpenminds.com to obtain a printable certificate. 

 

Robyn Hussa Farrell is co-founder and CEO of Sharpen, and has spent the past 15 years collaborating with state agencies, educational systems, public health and psychology researchers to build and deliver evidence-based programs to K-12 schools and communities.  Robyn is responsible for building collaborative partnerships and developing programs that deliver powerful prevention content into communities across the U.S. 

 

As part of her work in population health and prevention, Robyn built mindfulness, stress reduction and yoga-based programs for patients struggling with a variety of mental illnesses. Her work has been published in peer reviewed medical journals and in other publications. Robyn’s experience working in treatment settings and with researchers in schools led her to scale her community-based programs by adapting them into video-based modules and a series of documentaries on mental health and educational initiatives. Many of Robyn’s programs have been implemented through the award-winning non-profit, MentalFitness, which Hussa founded in 2006 to deliver evidence-based content and resources to communities.

 

A leader in the mental health and wellness provider community, Robyn is certified in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) through the University of Massachusetts Medical School model, as well as a certified trainer for NAMI NH CONNECT Suicide Postvention program. Hussa has proudly served as Spartanburg county youth suicide prevention coordinator for the Behavioral Health Task Force for United Way of the Piedmont, is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Johnson College of Business and has served as a mentor for the StartME Spartanburg entrepreneurship program. Robyn served as the Resilient Schools mindfulness trainer in Spartanburg, Cherokee, Richland and Lexington County Resilient Schools initiatives, is a Founding Member of the Eating Disorder Recovery on Campus in Boston, an advisory committee member for Way to Wellville/Rethink Health Community Engagement and Listening Campaign, and has been a Keynote and Invited Presenter in over 50 medical and educational conferences.

 

About Sharpen

Sharpen works with national researchers and practitioners to deliver evidence-based mental health programs that improve behavioral health outcomes for communities. Sharpen Fireside Chats are a free resource for communities and aspire to bring the latest best practices to more individuals, communities and families.