Supporting Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions in Post-Secondary Education
Young adults (ages 16-25) with serious mental health conditions (SMHC) experience unique challenges as they transition to adulthood. It is becoming a more standard expectation and necessity for young adults to obtain a post-secondary degree, yet compared to their peers, young adults with SMHC are less likely to enroll in and complete post-secondary education programs. Young adulthood is a critical period in one’s career trajectory and early delays in school or work are increasingly hard to overcome. This webinar will describe the unique developmental and cultural needs of young adults with SMHC, the common barriers and facilitators to success they encounter while pursuing post-secondary education, and ways in which school and service providers can better support them.
Join us for this free 60-minute webinar where we will:
- Identify common barriers and challenges young adults with SMHC face while navigating post-secondary education.
- Discuss best practices to support young adults with SMHC in pursuit of their post-secondary education.
- Hear from a young adult with lived experience of navigating college with an SMHC.
This webinar represents a collaboration between MHA, The Center on Mental Health Services Research and Policy, and The Learning and Working RRTC.
Meet the Speakers
Kathryn Sabella (she/her), Ph.D., is assistant professor within the Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research, at the Implementation Science and Practice Advances Research Center, within the department of psychiatry at UMass Chan Medical School. Sabella’s research aims to create new knowledge and understanding about the needs and experiences of young adults with serious mental health conditions and apply that knowledge to the development, testing, and implementation of age-appropriate and culturally appealing evidence-based practices that can improve the lives of these young adults.
Alexis Umeh (she/her) identifies as a young adult with lived experience of navigating college while managing mental health challenges. Alexis graduated from Boston University in May 2022 and recently joined the Brookline Center of Community Mental Health as a district/school support specialist. She also interns as an in-home therapist for youth at the Italian Home for Children and is very passionate about providing school-based interventions for children with mental health challenges.