From Awareness to Action

  Respectful Greetings and welcome. Thank you for reading this blog post. I wish to encourage public education, partnerships and elearning with Mental Health America. I wish to help and facilitate Nurturing Belonging, Emotional Well-being, and Safety in a New School Year. I encourage participation and feel appreciation for kind sharing. I wish to help people to feel safe and respect culturally diverse backgrounds of our communities. I learn the importance of community love with relationships to support making life work for everyone. Trauma may show up differently with each individual and we may learn how to talk through any signs of negativity with a curious mindset, I feel encouraged to hold space of compassion with kind demeanor with this blog post. If more than one person has a similar concern, peer support groups with friends checking in on friends with resources may help.     

  As the Mental Health America Conference draws near, taking proactive steps may help you get the most out of each experience. Special learning event Wednesday 8 am October 15, 2025 Mental Health America Conference | Mental Health America may help to advocate, heal and learn with our communities. I feel thankful with respect for learning together with the new school year to improve health results. 

How to Prepare for “PRAPARE 2.0 and Non-clinical Factors of Health”

Elevate Learning Forum | Tuesday, September 9 at 1 PM ET

Getting the most out of a learning forum may start well before the session begins. Here is a step by step guide to put insights into action with “PRAPARE 2.0 and Non-clinical Factors of Health”.

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Register, Save the Date, and Set Reminders

1. Visit the Elevate National Learning Forum page on NACHC and complete your registration.
2. Immediately add the session to your calendar (Outlook, Google, iCal) with a reminder 30 minutes prior to give you time to find a quiet space, organize a notebook, and test your connection.
3. If your organization blocks unknown webinars, share the Zoom link with your IT team in advance.

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Refresh Your PRAPARE Foundations

1. Revisit the original PRAPARE (Protocol for Responding to and Assessing Patients’ Assets, Risks, and Experiences) assessment tool to have context for the 2.0 updates.
2. Download the PRAPARE 1.0 questionnaires and review how questions are structured around housing, food security, employment, transportation, and social support.
3. Note any challenges your team has faced in implementing social determinants of health (SDOH) screening. These pain points may inform your questions during the forum.

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Map Out Your Non-clinical Data Landscape

1. Create a one-page inventory of the non-clinical factors you currently capture or miss:
   1. housing stability
   2. education and literacy
   3. access to healthy food
   4. transportation barriers
   5. social and community context
2. Identify your data collection methods (paper forms, EHR fields, patient portals) and highlight gaps where you want guidance on best practices.
3. Assemble any reports or dashboards you’ve generated on SDOH metrics, having real numbers accessible may spark more targeted discussion. https://copilot.microsoft.com/shares/y5qUcpSvu1uF4HxHej78Z

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Prepare Your Tech and Workspace

1. Test your device, webcam, and microphone in advance.
2. Log in to Zoom a few minutes early. Bookmark the session link so you can hop in immediately.
3. Keep a highlighter or digital notepad open to mark key takeaways and action items.
4. Mute notifications on your phone and computer to minimize interruptions.

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Craft Your Questions and Engage Actively

1. Draft two to three specific questions related to PRAPARE 2.0 or non-clinical data integration, for example, “How has the updated question set improved patient response rates?” “What strategies do you recommend for integrating SDOH data into quality improvement cycles?”
2. Use the chat feature to share quick insights from your own organization or to ask clarifying questions.
3. If breakout rooms are offered, volunteer to share your experiences, practical examples make for richer peer learning.

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Plan Your Post-Session Next Steps

1. Organize 30 minutes the following business day to evaluate your notes and highlight three key actions.
2. Circulate a one-page summary to your team, including links to session slides or recordings.
3. Incorporate forum insights into your workflow: update your EHR fields, update your screening protocol, or pilot a new community referral process.

With registering early, refreshing your SDOH background, organizing your data, and engaging with purpose, you may encourage healthy transformative practice. Mark your calendar for September 9 at 1 PM ET, and get ready to elevate your approach to PRAPARE 2.0 and non-clinical factors of health. 

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Nurturing Belonging, Emotional Well-being, and Safety in a New School Year 

You may wish to

1. Evaluate AI resources with recommended readings or toolkits on social-emotional learning, trauma-informed practices, or inclusive classroom strategies. Note questions with scenarios from your own context to help you apply insights. https://copilot.microsoft.com/shares/pK1gbBxK56qmKv6pkA5eq, https://copilot.microsoft.com/shares/CE4rpsM3QZaGp4AHxoBCn, https://copilot.microsoft.com/shares/mDqNPu5WzRN7sb1Wefzar, https://copilot.microsoft.com/shares/SfBMJbTUjrFdQYqsqHch3 With Mental Health America conference encouragement to turn awareness into action in October, I am interested in learning how to prioritize safely nurturing belonging with emotional well-being with learning creativity with accessible public libraries with Google's free recommended video friendship songs with Mayo Clinic's The Fall Into Wellness program offered with recommendations to complete 31 daily challenges with 7 to 9 hours sleep, 50 ounces of water, 20 minutes of exercise and write one thankful with a checklist with library media check-ins morning, midday and evening for evaluation of emotional well-being and engaging people with play. With The Way of Play, I am learning to play with play strategies of hypothesizing, mirroring, feelings, dial play intensity up or down, scaffold stretch, narrate to integrate with play parameters with multi-tiered support with blog posts, X posts and email. What Mental Health Association resources do you recommend to prevent and reduce heart disease with mental health perspectives with the new school year?

2. Set Intentions and goals with evaluation of one or two outcomes you have learned from the session, such as adopting a new welcoming ritual or evaluation of your school’s safety audit process.

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Mental Health America Conference | Mental Health America

You may wish to

1. Organize conference registration early October and secure any tickets or badges. If attending in person, book travel and lodging near the venue; if virtual, ensure access credentials are saved.

2. Explore the draft agenda with the full conference schedule to identify keynote sessions, breakout workshops, and poster presentations that align with your priorities. Highlight must-attend talks and map out a realistic daily plan.

3. Prepare your materials with your updated business cards or digital contact cards and load them onto your phone or tablet. Create a one-page overview of your work or program to share with new contacts.

4. List 3–5 individuals or organizations you wish to connect with, such as school counselors, policy advocates, or community-based mental health providers. Draft conversation starters connected to their expertise or recent projects.

5. Build your self-care plan to encourage mental health with short mindfulness breaks, healthy meals, and hydration. Pack noise-cancelling headphones or a favorite grounding playlist to recharge between sessions.

  With evaluation of resources, organizing clear goals with logistics, you may maximize every moment of these learning events. Afterwards, you may wish to revisit your notes, connect with new colleagues, and integrate fresh strategies into your practice.