The U.S. Surgeon General has declared the decline of student mental health as the "Crisis of Our Time". The headlines are overwhelming, and up close it is so much worse, it hurts. It’s somebody’s child, friend, or colleague in real pain.
It can feel paralyzing. If we could blame the youth mental health crisis on just screen time, just a pandemic, or just nutrition, maybe tackling it would be easier.
The mental health crisis is bigger than the resources available to fix it. And let’s be honest. Putting the “solve” on teachers, who are already struggling with their own exhaustion and wellbeing, cannot be the answer.
So what IS the answer?
Human-powered solutions that are scalable, outcome based and affordable.
Programs that reach into the hearts and minds of students, equipping them with the resilience skills needed to navigate through this storm — and the next one, too.
Access for all. Period. No excuses.
That’s what EmpowerU offers. We have a solution that the world needs, at a time when it needs it most. And it's working.
That's pretty incredible. Delivering EmpowerU through schools creates the critical time and place for all students to engage in their most important work — their wellbeing and mental health. So what’s next?
Please know that we genuinely care about each of you. You are doing difficult and important work - thank you. It matters a whole lot right now.
We got this — together.
Katie Dorn, MA, LSC, MFT is co-founder of EmpowerU and an experienced licensed school counselor and therapist. A mother of seven grown children and a successful entrepreneur and author, Katie is a strategic thinker with an ability to connect and build functional and productive teams. Her passion for finding effective ways to help students and families with mental health obstacles has fueled her work for EmpowerU since 2015.
EmpowerU’s highly personalized, data-driven Tier 1 and Tier 2 solutions equip students to be resilient, self-directed learners and reach their goals — without additional hires or a heavy lift from schools. The program provides each student with interactive lessons and personalized coaching, pairing technology with brain research in a unique way that supports students, empowers their growth and reduces feelings of anxiety and depression. Multi-year data makes it clear: nobody understands Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and approaches student success the way EmpowerU does.