Mental Health Meets AI: What Alongside Is Teaching Us About Students Today
Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
Release Date: 07/28/2025
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Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
What if our pets are communicating complex ideas—and technology is finally catching up? In this episode of the Shifting Schools Podcast, cognitive scientist and FluentPet founder Leo Trottier joins us to explore how breakthroughs in animal cognition, inter-species communication, and speech-button interfaces are reshaping the way humans understand pets. Trottier unpacks the science behind communication-enhancing tools for animals, drawing from research in cognitive psychology, comparative cognition, and linguistics to explain how dogs and cats may be expressing needs, feelings, and even...
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Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
Summary In this episode, Jeff Utecht discusses the critical importance of understanding where schools stand on the AI adoption curve. He emphasizes the need for leadership to actively engage with AI and for educators to integrate AI into their teaching practices. The conversation highlights the transformative potential of AI in education, urging schools to move from mere conversation to meaningful integration. Learn more about our amazing show sponsor: Takeaways AI adoption is crucial for schools today. Leadership must model AI usage and curiosity. Schools are on a curve of AI...
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A conversation that reminds us how curiosity, art, and iteration can reshape are necessary and may even be assets for our school leadership and the ways we nurture creative courage in young learners.... In this episode, Tricia Friedman sits down with author-illustrator Christy Mandin to explore what school leaders can learn from the creative process behind children’s literature. Together they unpack how curiosity fuels empathy, how messy iteration sparks innovation, and how embracing the dark and uncertain moments of creativity can make us more compassionate educators. What You’ll Learn ...
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Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
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Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
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Shifting Schools: Conversations for K12 Educators
In this episode of Shifting Schools, Jeff Utecht and Tricia Friedman discuss their upcoming training sessions focused on integrating AI into education. They emphasize the importance of understanding AI's impact on the job market, the necessity of prompt engineering as a new skill for educators, and the need for AI literacy among students. The conversation also touches on the evolving nature of AI tools and the importance of addressing mental health concerns related to technology use among students. You can learn more about the five part series: Takeaways AI is reshaping the educational...
info_outlineWhat if AI could help schools not just support educators as they work to manage student mental health needs, but prevent crises before they start? In this thought-provoking episode, Dr. Elsa Friis, licensed clinical psychologist from Alongside, returns to discuss how her team is using clinician-built AI tools to support students, educators, and families. From building trust through anonymity to boosting classroom attendance, Elsa shares research, real stories, and the myths she’s constantly debunking.
🎧 You’ll hear about:
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Why mental health support doesn't need to be 55 minutes long to make an impact
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The surprising issue most students anonymously seek support for (hint: it's not test anxiety)
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The difference between ChatGPT and what Alongside is actually doing with AI
Learn more about our guest:
Dr. Elsa Friis, Ph.D., Msc-GH, is a licensed psychologist, researcher, and behavioral health advocate who specializes in utilizing technology to expand access to youth mental health support.
She received her MS in Global Health and PhD in Clinical psychology from Duke University where she leveraged human-centered design to develop an app to support the implementation of a family therapy intervention in Kenya.
Dr. Elsa Friis has published over 20 peer-reviewed articles on the co-development, adaptation, and implementation of culturally salient youth interventions in the US and globally.
Clinically, Elsa has worked and trained in a variety of settings in NC and GA including schools, primary-care clinics, academic medical centers, and hospitals. She is trained in a variety of third-wave cognitive behavioral treatments for youth including DBT-A, ACT, and TF-CBT. She specializes in family-based approaches to treating anxiety, severe behavior concerns, and suicidal ideation.
Elsa firmly believes in co-creating products in partnership with the youth and stakeholders who will utilize them.
Learn more about the ground-breaking resarch they are doing:
https://www.alongside.care/shifting?utm_campaign=Shifting
[02:15] – What Alongside Does
How Alongside supports students through tier one mental health interventions.
[05:30] – AI and Mental Health: What Makes Alongside Different
Why this isn't just another ChatGPT wrapper—and how clinician-built tools matter.
[10:45] – The Power of Single Session Interventions
How 5-minute check-ins can drive lasting change in student well-being.
[15:20] – What the Research Says About the Youth Mental Health Crisis
Surprising findings about stress, social pressure, and how even fourth graders are feeling overwhelmed.
[20:00] – How Alongside Supports Educators Too
Reducing burnout, building staff confidence, and offering private coaching tools for teachers.
[25:30] – What’s Next for Alongside
New research, upcoming findings, and how to bring Alongside into your school or district.