Not Just Aware, Prepared: Engaging Communities and Schools to Promote Youth Mental Health and Resiliency

Format

Individual Presentation

Presenters

• Natasha De Veauuse Brown PhD, MPH, Georgia State UniversityFollow
• Lupe Arteaga, Georgia State UniversityFollow

First Presenter's Institution

Georgia State University, Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health & Wellbeing

First Presenter’s Email Address

ndeveauusebrown@gsu.edu

First Presenter's Brief Biography

Dr. Natasha De Veauuse Brown is a behavioral health researcher and project director in the Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health & Wellbeing at the Georgia Health Policy Center (GHPC) at Georgia State University (GSU). She has been in the field of public health for over 25 years. Her areas of expertise are mental health promotion, violence and substance abuse prevention, building resiliency in youth ages 10-24, racial and health equity, issues affecting communities of color, community-based participatory action research, mixed methods studies, and program evaluation. Dr. De Veauuse Brown currently leads several projects that address these public health issues and populations. Among them are enhancing school- and community-based mental health (Georgia Apex Program, Identifying & Responding to Youth Mental Health Needs, and The Confess Project of Metro Atlanta) and increasing representation of diverse communities throughout metro Atlanta in research studies (Represent ATL 2.0). She has evaluated a program designed to advance health equity in communities across the state (Georgia’s Statewide Health Equity Initiative) and programs designed to advance racial equity in communities across the U.S. (Kaiser Permanente’s Advancing Racial Equity Initiative).Prior to joining GHPC in 2023, Dr. De Veauuse Brown was a research assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy & Behavioral Sciences in the School of Public Health at GSU, where she co-led the evaluation of Georgia Project AWARE. Dr. De Veauuse Brown is also a certified instructor for Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) and Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR), and under her direction the Mental Health Awareness Training Program has trained over 400 participants annually since 2021. Additionally, she has published in several peer-reviewed journals (e.g., Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Journal of Drug Issues, Frontiers in Public Health, Child Abuse & Neglect) and has presented at prominent professional conferences (e.g., American Public Health Association, Society for Prevention Research, Mental Health America, Advancing School-based Mental Health). She also serves on the 2024-2027 Standing Review Panel for the National Institute of Justice and has been a federal peer reviewer for SAMHSA, HRSA, Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention, and U.S. Department of Education for over 15 years.

Second Presenter's Institution

Georgia State University, Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health & Wellbeing

Second Presenter’s Email Address

garteaga@gsu.edu

Second Presenter's Brief Biography

Lupe Arteaga is a Research Associate I at the Georgia Health Policy Center, where she conducts qualitative research to evaluate and strengthen a school-based mental health program across Georgia. She holds a Master of Public Health and a Graduate Certificate in Maternal and Child Health, bringing expertise in health promotion, behavioral health, and youth wellbeing. Her work focuses on bridging the gap between research and practice, with an emphasis on engaging communities and schools to improve access, reduce stigma, and support youth mental health. As a certified Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) and Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) instructor, Lupe trains adults in both English and Spanish to recognize and respond to youth experiencing mental health challenges or crises. She is committed to equipping educators, caregivers, and community members with evidence-based strategies that promote supportive, responsive, and sustainable mental health practices for all students.

Submitter

I am submitting this proposal as one of the presenter(s)

Location

Scarbrough 1

Strand #1

Health: Mental & Physical Health

Strand #2

Home: Family & Community Engagement

Relevance

The proposed presentation is relevant to two of the five conference strands: Health and Home. It will provide attendees with detailed information and strategies they can use to improve mental health literacy of families and community members in their geographic areas and to promote/support the mental health of children and youth through family/community engagement and educational awareness training.

Brief Program Description

This interactive presentation provides lessons learned and practical strategies attendees can use to actively engage diverse community members and school personnel in promoting mental wellness and resilience of youth. The session is grounded in evidence-based practices and findings from community engagement and training projects. Attendees will leave with actionable steps to strengthen youth mental health support and move beyond awareness to create meaningful, sustainable change.

Summary

There is clear, consistent evidence of escalating mental health challenges and life-threatening crises among youth across the U.S.^1-3 Several national organizations, including the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, have declared youth mental health a national state of emergency.⁴ Implementing community- and school-based mental health training and service provision programs can help promote mental wellness and resilience in school-aged youth.^5-7

This session will engage participants in scenario-based discussions and action planning, equipping them with practical strategies to implement in their own schools and communities. Our successful projects, which will serve as real-world examples, actively engage key community stakeholder groups, promote mental health literacy, raise awareness, help reduce stigma, and enhance practical skills for identifying, responding to, and supporting youth who may be experiencing mental health challenges or crises.^8,9 By sharing project information and findings, attendees will benefit from the lessons we have learned and will leave with concrete strategies and ideas for implementing similar efforts in their own unique ‘neck of the woods.’ They will learn about the Community Engagement & Course Action Network (CECAN) and our Mental Health Awareness Training (MHAT) Program, which both focus on engaging and educating families, communities, and academic institutions in collective problem solving. For example, each year MHAT trains over 400 individuals on Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) and/or Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR), empowering participants to identify early warning signs of youth mental health challenges/crises and to respond and provide support appropriately within their communities.

Attendees will also learn about the complex challenges and potential solutions involved in increasing youth and family access to needed mental health care. We will present a statewide, DBHDD-funded program rooted in MTSS and PBIS frameworks. This model program (Georgia Apex) has been implemented in over 800 schools across the state for the past 10+ years and has brought mental health providers and treatment services to youth while they are in school. The CECAN, MHAT, and Georgia Apex Programs have transformed mental health awareness into collective action by expanding mental health literacy, increasing access to care, and strengthening crisis response efforts in schools and communities.

Evidence

The extant research literature that supports the information and findings that will be covered in the proposed presentation is vast. Further, the projects to be highlighted in our session are grounded in evidence-based practices and frameworks specific to community engagement that can enhance mental health literacy and promote mental wellness and resiliency in youth. The following is a non-exhaustive list of exemplary studies that support our work and were cited in our Summary of the Proposal.

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2024). Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary & Trends Report: 2013–2023 US Department of Health and Human Services.
2. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (SAMHSA, 2025). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. PEP25-07-007, NSDUH Series H-60). Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/data-we-collect/nsduh-national-surveydrug-use-and-health/national-releases.
3. Yunyu Xiao, P.D. (2021). Temporal trends in suicidal ideation and attempts among US adolescents by sex and race/ethnicity. JAMA Network Open. Retrieved from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2780949.
4. American Academy of Pediatrics. AAP-AACAP-CHA Declaration of a National Emergency in Child and Adolescent Mental Health; 2021. Retrieved from: https://www.aap.org/en/advocacy/child-and-adolescent-healthy-mental-development/aap-aacap-cha-declaration-of-a-national-emergency-in-child-and-adolescent-mental-health/.
5. DiGirolamo, A.M., Desai, D., Farmer, D., McLaren, S., Whitmore, A., McKay, D., Fitzgerald, L, Pearson, S., & McGiboney, G. (2021). Results from a Statewide School-based Mental Health Program: Effects on School Climate. School Psychology Review, 50(1), 81-98.
6. Maslowski AK, LaCaille RA, LaCaille LJ, Reich CM, Klingner J. Effectiveness of mental health first aid: a meta-analysis. Ment Health Rev J. 2019; 24(4): 245-261. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHRJ-05-2019-0016.
7. Addressing the Youth Mental Health Crisis: The urgent need for more education, services, and supports. Mental Health America. (2022). Retrieved from https://mhanational.org/addressing-youth-mental-health-crisis-urgent-need-more-education-services-andsupports.
8. Akintobi, T., Barrett, R, Hoffman, L. Scott, S., Davis, K., Jones, T., De Veauuse Brown, N., Fraire, M. Fraire, R., Garner, J., Gruner, A., Hill, J., Meckel, R., Obi, C., Omunga, P., Parham, Q., Rice, T., Samples, O., & Terrill, T. (2023). The community engagement course and action network: Strengthening community and academic research partnerships to advance health equity. Frontiers in Public Health, 11.
9. Mental health disparities: Diverse populations. (2022). Retrieved from https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Cultural-Competency/Mental-Health-Disparities/Mental-Health-Facts-for-Diverse-Populations.pdf.

Learning Objective 1

Apply evidence-based programs and practices to increase mental health literacy and improve crisis response capacity in their communities by training key stakeholders (parents/caregivers, providers, first responders, youth pastors, etc.) and school personnel (teachers, counselors, administrators, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, etc.) and by conducting a robust community engagement and awareness campaign

Learning Objective 2

Establish, strengthen, and retain collaborative partnerships between schools, mental health professionals, and community-based organizations to collectively develop a coordinated, sustainable system for youth mental health care and support services that help promote mental wellness and resiliency in youth

Learning Objective 3

Develop a strategic plan for adopting, installing, implementing, and sustaining community- and school-based programs that can support youth mental health and resilience

Keyword Descriptors

Promoting youth mental health, mental health literacy, family engagement, community engagement, youth resilience, community-school-researcher partnerships

Presentation Year

2026

Start Date

3-3-2026 1:00 PM

End Date

3-3-2026 2:15 PM

Recommended Citation

De Veauuse Brown, Natasha PhD, MPH and Arteaga, Lupe, "Not Just Aware, Prepared: Engaging Communities and Schools to Promote Youth Mental Health and Resiliency" (2026). National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference. 51.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2026/2026/51