Jessica Schleider

Research Focus

Dr. Schleider’s professional mission is to build, test, and disseminate scalable, evidence-based mental health solutions that bridge gaps in mental health systems worldwide, with a focus on single-session interventions (SSIs) for underserved youth. Via more than a dozen trials of digital and lay provider-delivered SSIs, Dr. Schleider’s work confirms that SSIs deployed via schools, primary care, and social media can reduce depression and anxiety; increase uptake of further mental health support; and reduce internalized stigma in LGBTQ+ and youth of Color. Through this research and cross-sector community partnerships, SSIs designed by Dr. Schleider and her team have served >70,000 youth.

My plans for the fellowship period

Rates of youth internalizing symptoms have reached historic highs, undermining student achievement. Unfortunately, existing school interventions for internalizing problems are time-intensive, difficult to implement, and do not consider students’ autonomy or choice. Furthermore, existing interventions are rarely optimized to schools, to complement already-existing student services. Single-session mental health interventions (SSIs) hold promise for promoting the efficiency and scalability needed by schools to address overwhelming needs for student mental health support. However, there has been no systematic effort to integrate SSIs into schools.

During my fellowship, I plan to iteratively develop and test a deployment-ready platform of evidence-based SSIs for middle school-aged youth. The resulting platform will include seven online, evidence-based, student-guided online SSIs (focused on growth mindset, behavioral activation, self-compassion, body image, safety planning, minority stress, and social anxiety), along with built-in linkages to existing school-based care. This work will also deliver implementation blueprints (e.g., SSI platform installation guides; strategies for youth engagement; school implementation checklists) that allow for sustainable implementation into a school’s existing psychological services. This research reflects key steps towards sustainable implementation of evidence-based SSIs to complement and extend the mental health systems of schools worldwide, at a scale similar to social-emotional learning programs.

How will my work change children’s and youth’s lives?

Schools lack the clinicians and resources necessary to provide all students with high-quality, accessible mental health support. Yet, because youth attend school regularly, schools are uniquely poised to connect youth with the very kinds of resources to which they lack equitable access through other avenues. I hope that the outputs of my fellowship project will arm students, teachers, support staff, and administrators with a digital, open-access platform—and a co-designed toolkit for school-based implementation—that can efficiently, cost-effectively bridge gaps in school-based mental health systems.