Psychology Professor Gives Keynote on Youth Mental Health
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and NSU College of Psychology professor Scott Poland, Ed.D.
NSU College of Psychology professor Scott Poland, Ed.D., presented the keynote address at the Miami Dade-County and Miami Dade County Schools Youth Mental Health Summit held on Tuesday, March 28, 2023.
The event, held at the University of Miami Newman’s Alumni Center, was attended by Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Miami-Dade Public Schools Superintendent Jose L. Dotres, administrators, mental health professionals, agency representatives as well as University of Miami staff.
The purpose of the summit was to expand the conversation between educators and Miami-Dade County services providers regarding the status of mental health services and approaches for children living in the county.
Poland’s keynote presentation, titled “Supporting Children’s Mental Health in a Traumatic World”, described the increased stress factors that affect youth. These factors included social media, racial and political tension, global warming, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
He highlighted the growing need to increase the number of mental health professionals in the state’s school districts. He added that Florida’s spending in support of school mental health services ranks lower when compared to other states. Moreover, some states spend twice as well per student, when compared to Florida. This increase in spending has allowed these states to provide better student services and offer more resources for mental health professionals.
During his presentation, Poland referenced a US Surgeon General advisory on youth mental health. The advisory offered numerous recommendations for caregivers, schools, and students. In closing, Poland asserted that mental health was essential to overall health and more needed to be done to address the barriers that contribute to poor mental health for youth.
Poland is a professor in the NSU College of Psychology and is the co-director of the Suicide and Violence Prevention Office at the university. He is a licensed psychologist and an internationally recognized expert on school safety, youth suicide, self-injury, bullying, school crisis prevention/intervention, threat assessment and parenting in challenging times. He has authored or co-authored five books and many chapters and articles on these subjects and has served as a legal expert in a number of lawsuits.
Posted 05/21/23