2025 Pierce County School Based Mental Health Summit

Pierce County School Based Mental Health Summit

Theme: The Power of WE
Strengthening Schools through Care and Connection in Pierce County

Overview: Join educators, mental health professionals and community members at our school-based mental health summit focused on building positive and inclusive school environments. Through expert-led sessions and collaborative workshops, the summit will provide attendees with practical tools and strategies to address student mental health challenges and build sound school environments through collaborative partnerships. The event aims to foster a stronger sense of community and connection, highlighting that the “Power of We” comes from empowering all stakeholders to create lasting, positive change in their schools and within our communities.

Featured Workshops:

Building Trust from Within: Creating Psychological Safety with Colleagues

PDF: Building Trust from Within_ Creating Psychological Safety With Colleagues

Description:

Working with youth demands empathy, resilience, and a high level of emotional intelligence. But in order to fully support others, staff themselves must first feel safe, supported, and empowered. Psychological safety—the belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, or concerns— is critical to the wellbeing of not only our colleagues, but to the wellbeing and success of the youth and communities we serve.

The session will explore how fostering psychological safety among staff leads to more collaborative teams, better decision-making, and stronger relationships amongst themselves and with youth. Participants will gain knowledge on behaviors that inhibit psychological safety and learn practical strategies to promote open communication and create emotionally healthy environments that benefit both staff and the communities they serve.

Learning objectives for this training include:

• Define psychological safety and its relevance in the workplace
• Identify which behaviors indicate or inhibit psychological safety
• Learn and practice methods to co-create a psychologically safe workplace

Presentation Title: “Stronger Together: Harnessing Community Partnerships to Support Youth Well-being”

PDF: Stronger Together_ Harnessing Community Partnerships to Support Youth Well-being

Description:
No single professional, program, or organization can meet all the needs of today’s youth. To truly support their holistic well-being, it takes a village—a network of collaborative, relational, and intentional partnerships between youth-serving professionals and the wider community.

This presentation explores the power of community partnerships in creating a stronger, more connected support system for young people. Participants will learn how cultivating relational partnerships leads to improved access to resources, greater continuity of care, and more responsive programming. We’ll discuss strategies for co-creating solutions that center the needs of youth and their families.

Learning objectives for this training include:
Operationalize relational partnership values to create sustainable community partnerships
Identify strategies to navigate conflicts and ruptures with community partners
Articulate the benefits— to organizations, youth, and families— of engaging in community partnerships

SPEAKERS:

Dr. Ghynecee Temple
Dr. Ghynecee Temple is a licensed psychologist and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion consultant. She is particularly passionate about helping others recognize and cultivate the tools they possess to overcome adversity and live a healthier life. Dr. Temple has worked in higher education, the private sector, and state government and has translated her skills into teaching, workshop facilitation, consultation work, and executive coaching. Dr. Temple is continuously looking for creative avenues to bring her passion for wellbeing and equity to others. She currently works at the state government level to advance Washington’s Pro-equity Anti-racism plan. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her loved ones, traveling, and is a self-proclaimed foodie.

Dr. Tafona Ervin
Dr. Tafona Ervin is a nationally respected leader and advocate for transformative educational equity. With more than 15 years of experience advancing access for historically marginalized children and families, she serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation for Tacoma Students, where she steers one of the states most recognized place-based collective impact initiatives. Her leadership embodies a deep commitment to equity, authentic collaboration, and student success, ensuring that every child in Tacoma has the opportunity to thrive from cradle to college and career.Dr. Tafona Ervin Bio>>