Emotional Disorders in Youth
Youth and adolescence is a pivotal time, as the beginning of nearly half of all lifetime mental health challenges occur during this period. Emotional disorders, encompassing mood and anxiety disorders significantly impact the well-being of young individuals globally. The recent pandemic has intensified these challenges, leaving the vast majority of American youth without the mental health care they need.
The EMPOWER Intervention
EMPOWER's intervention for the youth draws on over two decades of groundbreaking research in evidence-based treatments. This is a stepped-care approach, featuring Quick Calming and Problem Solving, which equips school and community-based providers to address mood and anxiety challenges in school settings.
Dr. John Weisz, a distinguished Harvard University professor renowned for his research in youth mental health care, contributes his expertise as part of the leadership team.
Our innovative model begins with a universal 'First Encounter' intervention offering a cost-effective and efficient exploration of the youth's concerns. Tailored to their needs, the Quick Calming relaxation skill is introduced. Those requiring additional support seamlessly progress to specialized sessions, including Problem Solving techniques. This strategic intervention model ensures comprehensive and personalized care for youth facing emotional challenges.
EMPOWER Youth Intervention Trailer
Quick Calming
This relaxation technique has shown to be an effective transdiagnostic ingredient for addressing youth depression and anxiety.
Quick calming includes specific breathing and imagery procedures, that are highly acceptable and can be effectively delivered by providers without previous mental health training, within a short period of time.
Problem Solving
Problem Solving is a globally recognized and proven component in evidence-based interventions for youth mood and anxiety challenges.
This is a brief training featuring standardized and easily teachable steps, making it suitable for school and communit-based providers.
“The need for youth mental health care has never been greater than today, but there are far too few trained professionals to meet that need. EMPOWER Youth provides an innovative scalable solution: Using digital training and coaching to boost the skills of school personnel and others on the front lines of youth mental health support.”
Dr. John R. Weisz
Henry Ford II Professor of the Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University
Current Project Sites
The EMPOWER training to support Youth is currently being implemented and evaluated across two project sites, each focused on understanding how non-specialist providers can be trained to support youth mental health in real-world community and school settings.
San Antonio YWCA
The San Antonio YWCA provides services, programming, and advocacy to support marginalized individuals and families, especially women and girls. Through this project site, EMPOWER Youth is being implemented within an after-school program serving youth from an under-resourced, historically marginalized, predominantly Hispanic and Latino community.
Trainees: Youth-related program staff, including behavioral specialists, program directors, and program coordinators.
Implementation setting: An after-school program serving young people and families in San Antonio, Texas.
Goal: To evaluate the implementation of EMPOWER Youth within a community-based after-school program and understand how the training can support staff who work directly with youth from under-resourced and historically marginalized communities.
Tokyo schools
In Tokyo, the EMPOWER training to support Youth is being implemented in school settings through a study led by researchers from the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science. This project focuses on adapting and evaluating the EMPOWER Youth training within the Japanese context and supporting a newly established non-specialist school mental health workforce.
Trainees: Mitras, trained lay mental health coaches who are part of a new student mental health initiative.
Implementation setting: School settings in Tokyo, where Mitras visit schools several days per week to promote mental health literacy and strengthen student mental health support.
Goal: To evaluate the implementation of EMPOWER Youth within the Japanese context and school settings, when delivered by a newly established non-specialist school mental health workforce.
California schools
In California, the EMPOWER training to support Youth is being implemented in school settings through a study led by researchers at Harvard Medical School in partnership with Wellness Together, a California-based nonprofit leading statewide school wellness initiatives. This project focuses on adapting and evaluating the EMPOWER Youth training within California's large and diverse school population, and supporting a trained school-based wellness workforce to close the adolescent mental health treatment gap.
Trainees: Wellness coaches trained by Wellness Together, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating in collaboration with the California Department of Education and major health systems.
Implementation setting: School settings in California, where wellness coaches deliver EMPOWER Youth programming directly to students ages 10-19 across two schools beginning in fall 2026.
Goal: To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of EMPOWER Youth when delivered by trained wellness coaches in California school settings.
Join Our Movement
Elevate mental health care for our youth. Engage with us as we collaborate with esteemed mental health and educational organizations such as the Ballmer Institute, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and APA (American Psychological Association) to integrate this essential training into their professional development programs, amplifying its impact and reach.
Contact: laura_bond@hms.harvard.edu