Applying psychological science: Building population health supports to improve youth mental health
Essential Science Conversations
October 22, 2026
4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Eastern time
Youth mental health is not just a school issue or a clinical issue; it is a systems issue. Rising rates of distress among young people, combined with educator strain and uneven access to support, reflect the need for a more coordinated way of working across education, health, and community settings.
This APA webinar will bring together a range of voices to explore what that coordination actually looks like in practice. Panelists will share how youth, psychologists, educators, families, and community partners can work together to create more connected and responsive supports. The focus will be on what helps systems function better, how early signals are recognized and acted on, and how well-being can be supported in ways that feel real and sustainable in daily school life.
Accessibility
Auto-captioning will be enabled, and you will be able to access a transcript of the recording two to three weeks after the webinar.
This program does not offer CE credit.
Presenters
Wendi S. Williams, PhD
President, APA
Noel Candelaria
Secretary/Treasurer and Incoming Vice President, National Education Association
Laura Erickson-Schroth, MD, MA
Chief medical officer, The Jed Foundation
Claudia-Santi F. Fernandes, EdD, LPC, MCHES
Vice president, research and evaluation, Born This Way Foundation
Tammy L. Hughes, PhD, ABPP
Duquesne professor of school psychology at Duquesne University
Stephanie M. Jones, PhD
Gerald S. Lesser professor of early childhood development, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Elizabeth McCauley, PhD, ABPP
Professor, psychiatry and behavioral sciences; chief, psychology division, child psychiatry, University of Washington/Seattle Children’s Hospital
Moderator
Nicole Barnes, PhD
Executive lead psychologist, Education, APA
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