Cook Center for Human Connection at FETC

edCircuit attends many of the more relevant education industry conferences capturing industry opinions and having thought-provoking discussions with education industry participants and strategic leaders (edLeaders emPowering Education), where we discuss groundbreaking developments in education today.  Our team recently caught up with Anne Brown, President and CEO of the Cook Center for Human Connection, while @ FETC 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The foundation offers resources and support to schools and families looking to support students in a mental health crisis. The Cook Center achieves this through various services, including school grants, programs for parents, and global resources to increase awareness of the support needed for those affected by suicide. As the President and CEO, Anne oversees the Foundation’s work, develops strategy, and leads collaborative efforts between stakeholders in this work.  This discussion is part of our ongoing edLeaders emPowering Education series, where we spotlight education leaders and their missions to emPower Education. 

Cook Center for Human Connection Provides Support and Direct Intervention

In this conversation, Anne discussed two particular focuses of the Cook Center: grant-giving and direct support resources. Intending to eradicate teen suicide, the Cook Center’s mission of support has put thousands of dollars into schools nationwide. 

“We look for programs that are having a big impact in the mental health space, and we help provide those programs to schools…we just put [our grants] out nationally so that anyone can apply. We’ve had everything from parents to superintendents request those.” 

Parents Require Support

Another form of support is their parent training. Anne describes this training as a unifying experience across all boundaries. “If you’re a 15-year-old girl who has become a single mom, you’ve probably never had a parenting course. However, if you’re a Harvard MBA, you probably have never had a parenting course.” 

No matter your background, no one is fully prepared to deal with their child’s mental health crisis. These direct interventions provide support structures for parents to effectively address their children’s needs and get them on a path to healing. 

Struggles of Students Today

The Cook Center focuses on the impact of social media on students’ mental health. Many programs center around social media literacy in their support of school districts. In their direct intervention, social media is a significant challenge for parents. 

“When you’re a parent, you go to your parents or other adults in your world who have gone through similar experiences and seek advice. But the reality is that those people can no longer give you advice regarding one of the major components affecting our child’s mental health, which is social media. One of our courses is about how social media affects your child’s mental health. These are just some great tips for parents on how to monitor, how to support, and how even to set some boundaries around mental health and ideas and things that they can do. It’s a swiftly moving target.” 

Social media is just one of the focus areas of these programs. Each challenge is unique, and the Cook Center has successfully provided students, parents, teachers, and administrators with the resources they need to support students. 

Creating an Impact on Student’s Mental Health

Particularly with the nature of the subjects they discuss, there is a focus at the Cook Center on the hope they provide for a future where students have all the resources they need to face mental health challenges. Anne shared some hopeful stories in the conversation about students, parents, and educators who could recognize a mental health struggle and provide the struggling child with the resources they needed. One story that stood out was that of a student who struggles with suicidal ideation whose parents recognized the need for support and provided it. 

By having that education, she was able to help her child. She said, ‘Having that on our school website might save my daughter’s life. 

Proper Implementation for Success

A key to the Cook Center’s work is its dedication to properly implementing resources. For these resources to be the most effective, the Cook Center ensures that Mental Health awareness becomes a priority. 

“The first thing is we do something called the monthly Mental Health series, and this is a facilitated discussion every month, topically driven. A district chooses the topic that makes sense. It could be bullying, emotional regulation, or de-escalating cycles of conflict. A variety of topics. It’s a facilitated discussion that parents are invited to around mental health. What that does is really it lets parents know that the school district is in this with them with mental health,” says Anne. 

“It helps provide the information and education that even deeper that we’re trying to get to families. And then we also offer what’s called family coaching. We have certified coaches that work under a licensed therapist, but they will work one on one with families. Families sign up for this coaching. It’s a turnkey system for the school district.”

“The coaches reach out directly to the families once they’ve signed up. They work on the family schedule. They can meet with them up to four times a month, half an hour at a time, and be that extra support that families need. And we find that not every family needs coaching, but the ones who benefit from having that extra voice to help them through the difficult topics of parenting…I think schools, teachers, administrators, love having a tool they can point to with a parent.” 

To learn more about the Cook Center for Human Connection, visit their website and follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.