Strong Minds, Bright Futures: A Partnership For Child Mental Wellbeing

08/25/2025

Back-to-School is Mental Health Season

More than anything, school readiness is about making sure kids have the mental health supports they need to succeed.

Schools are frontline spaces for both prevention and care, and families play a key role in creating strong foundations for well-being.

SAMHSA offers helpful resources for families, educators, and communities to support student wellness and prevent substance use this school year. Explore them here: samhsa.gov/school-health

Together, we can make mental health as essential as every other back-to-school supply.

As we prepare for , it's crucial to remember that school readiness isn't just about having the right supplies, it's also about mental health and substance use prevention. SAMHSA has resources available to support student & families’ wellbeing: samhsa.gov/school-health

08/25/2025

Back-to-School is Mental Health Season

Schools aren’t just places to learn they are frontline spaces for prevention and support. Strong school-based mental health services help kids succeed all year, in the classroom and the community. Families play a key role in making sure every child feels supported.

For parents and caregivers, our partners at NAMI Chester County PA have put together a Back-to-School mental health resources to help you support your child’s well-being and partner with educators throughout the school year. Explore them here: nami.org/BackToSchool

Together, we can make sure mental health is always on the back-to-school checklist.

Parents & caregivers: As your child heads back to school, their mental health is just as important as their grades. 💙📚

NAMI’s updated Back to School resources are here to help you support your child’s well-being and partner with educators to navigate any mental health challenges that arise. Let’s work together to make this school year a strong one for minds and hearts.
🔗 Explore resources at nami.org/BackToSchool

08/22/2025

Indiana County Community Dialogue for Stronger Children’s Mental Health

Families, youth, educators, health providers, and community leaders are invited to join us for a solutions-focused conversation on strengthening children’s mental health in PA.

We want to hear directly from you, your experiences, your challenges, and what your community needs now to help children thrive. Together, we’ll lift up voices, share ideas, and explore solutions for a better future.

- Monday, Sept 29, 2025
- 5:00–7:00 PM
- Indiana University of Pennsylvania – Kovalchick Complex, 711 Pratt Drive, Indiana, PA 15701
- Family-friendly event, open to all ages.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/strong-minds-a-community-dialogue-for-stronger-childrens-mental-health-tickets-1591608095659?aff=oddtdtcreator




Behavioral Health Alliance of Rural Pennsylvania

08/12/2025

This week, we're spotlighting YWCA Tri-County Area, an organization dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.

YWCA Tri-County Area serves thousands of women, children, and families each year with trauma-responsive, culturally competent programs that educate, empower, and strengthen communities.

Their work addresses creates opportunities for people to succeed.

Key Focus Areas:
-Education & Workforce Development
-Youth & Women’s Empowerment
-Advocacy & Equity
-Community Services & Wellness

We’re proud to partner with YWCA Tri-County Area in building stronger communities across Pennsylvania.

07/29/2025

This week, we're spotlighting No Longer Bound (), an organization dedicated to empowering communities through prevention, education, and youth development.

No Longer Bound delivers school and community based programming designed to reduce drug and alcohol abuse and improve overall well-being. Their evidence-based approach helps young people build self-esteem, life skills, and positive motivation.

Key Focus Areas:
-Prevention & Education
-Youth Development
- School & Community Engagement
- Community Wellness

We’re proud to partner with No Longer Bound in shaping a future where youth and communities have the tools and support they need to thrive.

07/28/2025

Real change in youth mental health starts when young people help shape the policies that affect them. If we want better outcomes for youth, we must build policies with their voices at the center—not around them.

Young people and their families know what’s working, what’s not, and what they need. That’s why the Strong Minds, Bright Futures partnership is committed to listening first and building forward together.

Let’s shape a future where youth and caregivers are not just recipients of care—but co-creators of the solutions.

07/25/2025

Our July newsletter is here! Read it now: strongmindspa.org/media/newsletters/

This month’s issue is packed with updates from across PA— from uplifting youth voices and highlighting partners to new resources, upcoming events, and Teen Listening Session.

Whether you're a policymaker, parent, provider, or advocate, there’s something inside for you.

Let’s keep building a future where every child has the support they need to succeed!

07/25/2025

You have stories, struggles, and solutions. We’re here to listen and act.

July 30 | 4–5 PM
Virtual on Zoom
Register by July 23: bit.ly/4lKXzPf



Access Services, Inc. Aevidum Allies for Children American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence BCHIP - Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership CADEkids Carbon-Monroe-Pike Mental Health and Developmental Services Child and Family Focus Inc. Children's Crisis Treatment Center Children First Children's Hospital of Philadelphia CORA Services EleganceXtreme Inc Erie County Department of Human Services Family Therapy & Consultation Services Flourish Agenda inseparable Jewish Healthcare Foundation Joseph J Peters Institute Latino Behavioral Health Coalition The Lincoln Center for Family and Youth Mary's Shelter Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services NAMI Bucks County PA NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania NAMI Philadelphia No Longer Bound Prevention and Training Services Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers
Pennsylvania Council of Children, Youth and Family Services (PCCYFS) Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society

07/24/2025

Millions of Spanish-speaking Americans face long waits and limited options when seeking mental health care often unable to find a therapist who speaks their language or understands their culture. This isn’t just a gap. It’s a crisis.

A recent article by Dr. Vanesa Mora Ringle lays out why investing in Spanish-speaking therapists is urgent, and how programs like Lehigh University’s bilingual training are leading the way.

When Spanish-speaking clinicians are given high-quality training in their own language, they thrive and so do their clients.

Read more: https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/mental-health-spanish-latino-therapists-lehigh-university-20250724.html

The need for Spanish-speaking therapists is urgent. The Latino population in the U.S. is growing, and with it, the demand for mental health care. Lehigh University wants to be part of the solution.

07/24/2025

Meet Dr. Abigail Schlesinger, Co-Chair of the Strong Minds, Bright Futures Partnership!

Dr. Schlesinger brings decades of leadership in child and adolescent psychiatry and a deep commitment to making mental health care more accessible for Pennsylvania’s youth and families.

As Chief of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Integrated Care at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, she has championed family-centered, integrated care models—like Children’s Community Pediatrics Behavioral Health (CCPBH)—that embed mental health services directly into pediatric practices across the state.

Her work has received local, state, and national recognition for expanding timely access to care, especially in communities that need it most. She also serves as Medical Director of Children’s TiPS, a program that connects pediatricians with real-time psychiatric consultation.

We’re proud to have Dr. Schlesinger’s expertise and vision helping to guide the future of the SMBF Partnership.

UPMC UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

07/23/2025

Your voice could shape youth mental health policies across Pennsylvania. Say something that matters!

-Join the Virtual Teen Listening Session on July 30
-Register here: bit.ly/4lKXzPf

Children First

07/22/2025

ICYMI: In May of this year, there was a $1 billion cut to federal grants which cancels funding for school‑based mental‑health services for an estimated 250,000 children in 21 counties, from Philadelphia and Bucks to Tioga and Westmoreland.

You can read the full statement by the Strong Minds, Bright Futures Partnership here: https://strongmindspa.org/project/cutting-funding-to-school-mental-health-services-threatens-essential-support-for-pennsylvanias-children/

Strong Minds is working to secure a commit to sustainable, system‑wide funding in Pennsylvania that provides access to mental health services where children spend most of their waking hours: in their schools.

Children First