For immediate release — May 14, 2020
Youth mental health is in crisis. 1 in 4 kids were struggling with their mental health before coronavirus hit. Now add the stress and uncertainty of living through a pandemic. We have a crisis squared.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has provided stark reminders of the critical importance of mental health to our wellbeing, the inadequacy of our current approaches to promote mental health, and the urgent need for research to develop new, better ways to prevent and treat anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses.
This is especially true for young people, upon whose mental health and wellbeing a brighter post-COVID future will ultimately depend.
As we are beginning to cautiously emerge from isolation, AIM Youth Mental Health is emerging stronger than ever. AIM is taking bold steps forward to address the ongoing mental health crisis by investing in growth now when the need is greatest. We are proud to announce a new VP of Development & Strategic Partnerships that will help take AIM into this crucial next phase in its support of leading research to improve youth mental health, and efforts to raise awareness:
VP Development & Strategic Partnerships, Kathryn Morrissey
“My vision is for every child to be able to thrive. Unfortunately, today’s mental healthcare landscape does not support this vision. I joined AIM to build a global movement to fund cutting-edge research driven to not only find answers for youth and families but to provide everyone with a voice in breaking down the stigmas tied to having an open dialogue around mental health.”
Kathryn brings more than a decade of experience in leading development and strategic partnership initiatives driven to accelerate social impact through causes rooted in health and human services. Most recently, Kathryn served as Chief Development Officer for Special Olympics Northern California/Nevada overseeing the organization’s development operations, fundraising and special events. During her tenure she elevated Special Olympics’ approach to corporate partnership development and as a result amplified its brand awareness. Over the years, Kathryn has held leadership positions working on behalf of the Child Mind Institute, Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) and Life Learning Academy. Kathryn’s dedication to public service spans from advocating for youth mental health with emphasis on breaking down barriers to care and stigma to elevating a global dialogue around mental health issues to championing individuals of all abilities. She currently serves on the Bay Area Advisors in Philanthropy Steering Committee and the Carmel Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
“I’m proud of the strong foundation AIM has built – and of the impact we and our research grantees are having – with guidance from our Board of Directors and world class Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). But I knew we needed to find top talent to work with our SAB and partners to ensure we continue to make the best research decisions as we grow, and to engage with our outstanding community of donors whose support is crucial to take AIM to its next level. AIM is now poised to achieve much broader scale and impact.” said Founder & Board Chair, Susan Stilwell.
“It has become even more critical during our current crisis to address the myriad of challenges experienced by our children: stress, anxiety, mood, and sleep issues,” added Scientific Advisory Board member Dr. Adam Gazzaley, from the University of California, San Francisco. “I have been proud to collaborate with AIM to deliver new solutions that make a difference, and I am very excited to work with my colleagues on the Scientific Advisory Board to help AIM amplify its support of needed mental health research.”
Dr. Patrick McGorry, AIM Scientific Advisory Board member and Executive Director of Orygen in Melbourne added, “Young people in transition from childhood to adulthood bear the major burden of onset of mental ill health as they navigate this challenging period. The COVID 19 disaster has made that pathway much more perilous and we predict that the lives and futures of many more young people will be at risk if society doesn’t act now to secure the situation. This means much more secure vocational pathways and scaffolding around emerging adults, and welcoming, holistic and expert youth mental health services powered by youth participation, lived experience and scientific evidence in all communities across the USA and around the world. AIM has a catalytic role to play to help make this happen.”
In this next phase, AIM will renew its focus on philanthropic partnerships to expand its research funding program. The key to success will continue to be the generous and enduring support of our donors. Just as we have needed to stay apart to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we now need to come together to prevent a second pandemic of mental illness.
Moving Upstream: A Proactive Approach to Addressing Behaviors and Bullying
Krista Reuther is the Assistant Director of Ohana’s Community Health and Prevention Program. She received her Masters in Public Health and Social Work at UC Berkeley. She comes to this position after 14 years of clinical social work experience at Stanford Children’s Hospital in pediatric oncology, critical care, and bereavement. Her goal is to reduce the incidence of mental illness in children and adolescents in Monterey County.
Dr. Guss is a 35-year veteran educator with a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership. She served as a classroom teacher for 10 years, including two years as a teacher in a bilingual program in South Central Los Angeles. She has also served as a college professor, mentor teacher for new teachers, and a master teacher for teacher candidates completing their student teaching experience. She continues to be a strong advocate for the teaching profession.
Fellowship: Stanford University School of Medicine (1994) CA
Michael G. Thompson, Ph.D. is a consultant, author and psychologist specializing in children and families. He is the supervising psychologist for the Belmont Hill School and has worked in more than seven hundred schools across the United States, as well as in international schools in Central America, Europe, Africa and Asia.
is 15 years old and a sophomore at Marina High School in Marina, CA. Her academic interests include math, history, and psychology. She joined the AIM Ideas Lab in 2021 because she wanted to be a part of something that could have a great impact on her community. Marwa is interested in youth mental health because she has always been fascinated with the human mind and she wants to support those that are suffering who may feel like their challenges in life aren’t important enough or are too afraid to seek necessary help.
Giovanna Panetta is a 16 year old junior at Carmel High School. She has always been called to STEM subjects, specifically biology. The AIM Ideas Lab instantly attracted her attention as a research opportunity. Gia has always comprehended the importance of mental health. She knows that COVID only exacerbated previously existing problems, and that as a community we can try and find the root of those problems. Mental health is an integral part of life, and can impede a body’s ability to be healthy. She strongly believes that life is worth living, and she wants to help anyone that thinks otherwise.
Dr. Friedman completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology from University of California San Diego (UCSD). She went on to complete her masters and doctorate degrees (Ph.D.) in Clinical Psychology from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science/Chicago Medical School. Dr. Friedman completed her pre-doctoral internship at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, and her post-doctoral fellowship training at the VA San Diego Healthcare System. Her clinical training and experience has been focused primarily on comprehensive assessment and effective treatments for anxiety, mood and related disorders. Dr. Friedman has extensive experience in providing Cognitive Behavioral Therapies for anxiety disorders (e.g. worry, OCD, social anxiety, phobias and PTSD), depression, adjustment disorders/life stress, insomnia and body-focused repetitive behaviors (e.g. Trichotillomania and skin picking). She has received training in evidence-based interventions for a variety of specific problems, including exposure with response prevention (ERP) for treatment of OCD, Prolonged Exposure (PE) for treatment of PTSD, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I). Moreover, she has specialty training in the treatment of childhood anxiety and related disorders, such as ADHD, selective mutism, separation anxiety, PTSD, depression and specific phobias. In addition, Dr. Friedman has developed an expertise in research on Trichotillomania and body-focused repetitive behaviors, which has led to numerous local and national presentations. Dr. Friedman regularly attends local and national conferences, training seminars and workshops in order to stay informed on the most up to date treatments and apply state of the art science into her clinical practice.
Dr. Piacentini is a board-certified clinical child and adolescent psychologist and Professor in the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences. He directs the UCLA Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Clinic and Tourette Association Center of Excellence which provide diagnostic evaluation and treatment (both therapy and medication) for youth with the above problems. He also directs the UCLA Center for Child Anxiety Resilence, Education, and Support (CARES; carescenter.ucla.edu) which provides education and programming to parents, teachers, and clinicians about anxiety prevention and management.
Citlalli Nava is 18 years old and a first year majoring in Psychology at Hartnell Community College in Salinas, CA. She is passionate about understanding how mental health affects how youth think, act, and feel. Citlalli joined the AIM Ideas Lab in 2021 after witnessing the increase in mental health challenges in teenagers and considering the mental health issues they are facing. Citlalli is interested in youth mental health because it is a real problem faced by her generation.
Clinical and community psychologist and health care innovator Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, is CEO of the American Psychological Association, the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. With more than 146,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students as members, APA promotes and disseminates psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve lives – a mission consistent with Evans’ life work.
