MindBeat Podcast

Latest Episode

EP 37: Navigating the Digital Childhood: Mental Health, Media, and Development

In this episode, Dr. Ellen Wartella, a leading expert on children, media, and development, joins Laine and Megan McCullough, Director of Student Services at Wallingford-Swarthmore School District to explore the evolving role of media in shaping mental health, common misconceptions about screen use, and practical ways families and schools can support healthy development in a digital age.
Hosted By:
Laine Whitaker

December 22, 2025

42 min

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Voices of ESS

Cortnee, Megan, & Jalen

EP 17: School-based Clinicians Weigh in on the Youth Mental Health Crisis

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EP 15: Supporting the Mental Health Needs of Early Learners

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EP 14: Summer Planning for Student Mental Health

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All Episodes

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April 11, 2023
29 MIN

EP 10: Ensuring Equity of Care in Treating Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

In this episode, Brian Boyd from UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Education and the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute joins Duncan and Laine to discuss how schools can improve their treatment of students with autism spectrum disorder, exploring care at the intersectionality of ASD and under-represented student populations, how to best support teachers working with autistic students, and the inter-relationship between ASD and mental health disorders.
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March 28, 2023
29 MIN

EP 9: School-based Clinicians Share Insights on How to Best Support Students

In this episode, Jennifer Baum and Diandra Kaufman, from Effective School Solutions’ clinical team, join Duncan and Laine to discuss the challenges students are facing today, how mental health challenges have changed, what makes a good partnership between a school district and mental health provider, and their advice for teachers and parents on how to identify mental health warning signs.
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March 14, 2023
29 MIN

EP 8: Understanding What “Good” Looks Like for School-based Mental Health

In this episode, Sharon Hoover, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist and Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the Co-Director of the National Center for School Mental Health, joins Duncan and Laine to discuss the “state of the practice” of school-based mental health, the key components of a high functioning school-based mental health continuum, and the biggest barriers that prevent school systems from implementing high-quality mental health.
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Our Unwavering Focus on Data Collection

At ESS, we have an unrelenting focus on data, measuring results, and communicating to our partners the proven impact our programming has on mental health, school outcomes and financial sustainability.

With every ESS partner, we will:

• Set data driven goals at the beginning of every implementation

• Have regular “Report Card” meetings in which we share the impact of ESS services

• Monitor data along the way to look for potential risk areas so that these can be proactively addressed

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