Kognito Intros Mental Health Tools for Schools

Kognito, a developer of immersive learning simulations related to challenging conversations, has created two new mental health products for schools: At-Risk for PK-12 Educators and Friend2Friend.

According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, nearly 20 percent of American children suffer from mental disorders that significantly impair their ability to function at home, at school or with peers, and teenagers with mental illness have the highest dropout rate of any disability group. Kognito developed these two new programs with the goal of helping educators and high school students identify at-risk students and help them get support.

At-Risk for PK-12 Educators is a series of three online professional development programs designed "to prepare educators to identify, approach and connect students experiencing psychological distress with support services," according to a press release from the company. Each program targets one of three grade levels: elementary, middle school and high school. Educators can participate in simulations of common but challenging interactions with students and parents. According to the company, the scenario-driven programs were developed in collaboration with mental health experts and educators, and they portray relevant and realistic situations.

Friend2Friend is similar to At-Risk for PK-12 Educators but is intended for use by high school students. The 25-minute interactive, online learning activity is designed to help students identify warning signs of psychological distress in their peers and determine when adult intervention may be required.

Kognito will demonstrate At-Risk for PK-12 Educators and Friend2Friend in a free webinar, "Empowering K-12 Educators and High School Students To Act with Confidence To Support Students in Distress," on Wednesday, August 26 at 2:00 p.m. EDT.

Further information about At-Risk for PK-12 Educators and Friend2Friend can be found on Kognito's site.

About the Author

Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].

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