Grieving mom, Hallie Twomey, put a call out on Facebook after losing her veteran son, CJ, to suicide. Her request: To honor her son’s memory by scattering his ashes in as many amazing places as possible. The request went viral. A global community formed to scatter CJ’s ashes in thousands of locations worldwide, helping Hallie find the courage to become a powerful voice in the fight against suicide. (Available on-demand through 8/27/25) Also on-demand in a Spanish Captioned Version
Teen Mental Health
Facing Suicide On-Demand
FACING SUICIDE combines the poignant personal stories of people impacted by suicide with profiles of scientists at the forefront of research to reveal new insights into one of America’s most pressing mental health crises. The documentary shines a light on this difficult topic can destigmatize suicide while revealing that there is help as well as hope for those at risk and their loved ones. Available on-demand through 9/12/2026.
My Ascension • WXXI-TV
A suicide attempt left 16-year-old varsity cheerleader, Emma Benoit, paralyzed, but propelled her on a mission to use her painful experience to help other young people find hope and stay alive.
My Ascension airs Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 11 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.
As Emma navigates the challenges of her physical and mental health recovery, she works to shine more light on the fact that 20 young people die every day by suicide in the in the United States.
This program is presented as part of Dialogue on Disability, a partnership between WXXI and Al Sigl Community of Agencies – in conjunction with the Herman and Margaret Schwartz Community Series. Dialogue on Disability is supported by the Fred L. Emerson Foundation with additional support from The Golisano Foundation. The weeklong initiative runs January 13-19, 2025
WXXI and Al Sigl have been hosting Dialogue on Disability since 2005. In 2014, with the support of businessman and philanthropist Tom Golisano and the Golisano Foundation, Move to Include™ was formed. This initiative enables WXXI to present and develop programming that promotes inclusion year round.
WXXI News Coverage of Student Mental Health Stories & Talk Shows On-Demand
Public media stations across New York State are focusing on the student mental health with a year-long multi-platform campaign, including news coverage. Funding for this program is provided in part by the New York State Education Department. Listen to the stories and talk show podcasts on-demand.
Local WXXI News Coverage: Read & Listen to stories on-demand here
Local News: Gov. Hochul’s upcoming state budget addresses student mental health matters. Local leaders respond from January 9, 2024 Gov. Kathy Hochul says efforts to improve youth mental health will be a priority in her upcoming New York state budget proposal.
Local News-R-Centers offer teen mental health support through winter break, from December 26, 2023. Some recreation centers in Rochester have been bolstered with more mental health supports for teens and their families — the winter school break will offer more opportunities for students to access those services.
Local News-URMC debuts teen drama therapy performance at OFC Creations from October 27, 2023 Drama therapy might not be widely known or practiced, but a theater production this weekend showcases the fusion of art and healing. LISTEN • 4:11
Local News-Students face mental health care barriers. A proposed law might help, from October 4, 2023. A lack of mental health services at schools and colleges is a national issue that hits home in Western New York, but proposed recommendations could remove obstacles. LISTEN • 4:17
Local News-Local institutions work to meet ‘profound and startling’ demand for teen mental health services, from October 2, 2023. Although progress is being made toward addressing teen mental health, experts say there’s still more that needs to be done to meet the demand for resources. A new facility that’s in the works aims to help do that.
Local News-Meet the game-changers leading a mental health movement among student-athletes, from September 29, 2023. A club at Nazareth is one of nearly 1,400 Morgan’s Message ambassador programs at colleges and high schools around the country. These programs are a place where students lead conversations about mental health. LISTEN • 7:41
New York Public News Network-New York state leaders say they are making gains on addressing teen mental health, from September 27, 2023. Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Legislature invested $1 billion into mental health services in the current state budget. Part of that money is earmarked for services specifically for teenagers. LISTEN • 3:19
Local News RCSD’s Ruth Turner leads restorative approaches to conflict with new H.U.B., from September 25, 2023There’s a new space for resolving conflicts and interrupting cycles of violence at the Rochester City School District. LISTEN • 1:28
Local News-Greece joins school districts suing social media giants over alleged harms to children from September 20, 2023.Districts allege social media apps are to blame for student struggles with mental health and discipline problems that divert resources from education. LISTEN • 1:25
Local News-Nazareth University expands mental wellness programs with $300,000 federal grant from September 19, 2023. Students and staff at Nazareth University will see an expansion of mental health outreach starting this fall. LISTEN • 1:14
Local News-Housing instability hurts Rochester students’ academic performance, says report from August 24, 2023. The Children’s Agenda is calling on the state to enact policies and programs to help families find a stable place to live.
Local News-Kids coping with trauma and violence can start finding help at some city recreation centers from July 12, 2023. In an effort to boost the emotional health of Rochester’s children, the city is launching a one-year pilot program at its recreation centers.
Local News-Greece Athena High School pilots a counseling app for student mental wellness, from May 29, 2023. The Greece Central School District is rolling out a pilot program to see if a phone app could improve student mental health. LISTEN • 1:18
Local News-State budget allots funding for youth mental health, from May 17, 2023. May is Mental Health Awareness month and the New York state budget includes $1 billion toward transforming the state’s mental health care — $30 million of that is focused on children. LISTEN • 1:34 (via WRVO)
Local News-Conference in Rochester provides resources for girls ages 10 to 16 from April 17, 2023. A mother-daughter conference in Rochester over the weekend was designed to help girls learn more about mental and emotional health supports available to them.
Local News-Survey: Parents say kids lack mental health services in Monroe County schools from March 22, 2023. The Children’s Agenda is calling for robust solutions to what they say is a mental health crisis among children and teens – including improving access to care in schools. LISTEN • 1:23
Local News-Hochul proposes $1 billion to boost statewide mental health services in wake of pandemic from March 17, 2023Gov. Kathy Hochul is pushing for $1 billion worth of mental health services across New York state, with a strong focus on addressing the needs of children and teens. LISTEN • 1:28
Local News- How a new Rochester youth center came to be named for the Obamas from January 9, 2023. Teen Empowerment has landed a major donor for its new center. And his contribution came with an unusual request. LISTEN • 4:54
Local News- College students need more mental health resources, speakers stress at state hearing from December 1, 2022. State lawmakers gathered this week for a public hearing on college students’ mental health needs ahead of the upcoming 2023 legislative session. LISTEN • 1:15
Local NewsRCSD partners with the University of Rochester to support students’ mental health needs from September 28, 2022 The University of Rochester and the Rochester City School District are partnering again, this time to provide mental health training to school staff.
Aired New York Now Programs:
New York NOW
Saturday, September 23 at 6:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV Repeats 9/24 at 5 a.m. Watch On-Demand
New York NOW takes a look at mental health support in afterschool programs in one of the program segments
New York NOW
Saturday, September 30 at 6:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV Repeats 10/1 at 5 a.m. Watch On-demand
The team dive into the mental health crisis in New York, featuring an insightful interview with Dr. Ann Marie Sullivan, Commissioner of the state Office of Mental Health. We also shed light on often overlooked demographics in suicide prevention and speak with Dan Egan from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention about the current state of mental health in New York.
Connections with Evan Dawson Live Talk Show Podcasts from WXXI News
May 24, 2024 Podcast: How a new pediatric urgent care is expected to address the mental health needs of local youth
May 1, 2024 Podcast: Examining youth mental health in the pandemic era
November 15, 2023 Podcast: How local teens are getting more involved in understanding their social and emotional health?
October 18, 2023 Podcast: How can we have more open conversations about mental illness, including suicidal ideation?
September 27, 2023 Podcast: Melissa Kearney, author of “The Two-Parent Privilege”
September 26, 2023 Podcast: Former WNBA all-star Chamique Holdsclaw on mental health advocacy
September 20, 2023 Podcast: Why are teens with mental health challenges not getting care?
August 31, 2023 Podcast: What do young people think causes hopelessness or lack of direction?
August 18, 2023 Podcast: Summer Book Week: A look inside children’s books dealing with anxiety
April 12, 2023 Podcast: What do young people need when it comes to digital literacy education?
March 23, 2023 Podcast: Can music help teens and young adults struggling with mental health challenges?
January 9, 2023 Podcast: How local institutions are working to connect people to mental health services
December 27, 2022 Podcast: How to help teens cope with trauma and mental health challenges
This program is part of the New York State Public Media Overdose Epidemic, an initiative funded by the New York State Education Department that has called on NYS public media organizations to create a multi-platform project to help address mental health and addiction throughout the state. The project includes broadcast offerings, online content, and special events, like this screening. The NYS stations will also work to create comprehensive digital teaching tools, online learning, and essential instructional content.
Student Mental Health Matters Educator Toolkit
Student Mental Health Matters: A Toolkit for Educators is designed to equip educators, school staff, and school mental health professionals with critical knowledge and strategies needed to support the mental well-being of their students. Digital media resources — curated from expert mental health organizations and public media sources — cover suicide prevention, stress and anxiety, self-harm, adverse childhood experiences, and social media, and offer:
- Expert perspectives from mental health professionals, school administrators and educators aimed at helping teachers better understand a topic;
- Student perspectives that reveal the lived experience of elementary, middle, and high school students;
- Strategies that provide real-world applications for teachers’ practices.
All resources and accompanying support materials are intended to be used in a professional development setting and may contain material considered sensitive to some viewers.
Student Mental Health Matters | A Toolkit for Educators (via PBSLearningMedia.org)
Our Sponsors
Funding for this initiative is provided in part by the New York State Education Department.
About the New York State Public Media Student Mental Health Matters is part of an initiative funded by the New York State Education Department that has called on NYS public media organizations to create a multi-platform project to help address student mental health and throughout the state by developing a PBS LearningMedia Toolkit for Educators. The project also includes broadcast offerings, online content and resources websites.
Speaking Grief Documentary & Resources On-Demand
Moving away from the idea that grief is a problem that needs to be “fixed,” Speaking Grief validates the experience of grievers and guides those wishing to support them. See the on-demand film and extensive resources for exploring the topic of grief.
Speaking Grief explores why the pain of losing a loved one can be so difficult to understand and discuss. The film interviews grieving families from across the U.S., whose losses range from stillbirth to suicide, to address common misconceptions about grief. Through candid personal stories and conversations with experts in the grief field, the film also presents ideas for how family and friends can better support each other through loss.
There is no “right” way to grieve. By sharing diverse representations of bereavement, Speaking Grief illustrates that grief is a universal, yet individual experience.
Watch the documentary on-demand: https://www.speakinggrief.org/documentary
Funding for Speaking Grief is provided by a grant from WPSU Penn State and The New York Life Foundation
Related Resources:
- Speaking Grief Documentary:
- Available to view online: https://www.speakinggrief.org/documentary
- Speaking Grief also has a great “Resources” section: https://www.speakinggrief.org/get-better-at-grief
- Sesame Street in Communities Tough Topics resources (for young children and families) Discussing Tough Topics including grief, trauma, health, offering comfort and more.
- Sesame Street for Military Families: https://sesamestreetformilitaryfamilies.org/
- Institute for Nonviolence offers Grief Cafes: https://gandhiinstitute.org/workshops-trainings
Student Mental Health
The New York State Public Media Student Mental Health Matters is a New York State Education Department funded initiative that has called on NYS public media organizations to help address the issues of mental health by supporting educators in the classroom. On this site access on-demand programming, educational resources, news and talkshow podcasts, educational and community resources.
On-Demand Programs, News and Resources
Student Mental Health Matters Educator Toolkit
Student Mental Health Matters News Reports
WXXI News Coverage of Student Mental Health Stories & Talk Shows On-Demand
Hiding in Plain Sight On-Demand
Our Turn to Talk On-Demand
Speaking Grief Documentary & Resources On-Demand
Facing Suicide On-Demand
Scattering CJ On-Demand
PTSD and Mental Illness – After War and Right of Mind On-Demand
Our Time: Teen Mental Health and Suicide – Under the Wire & Surviving On-Demand
Teen Mental Health and Suicide in Black Families On-Demand
Your Fantastic Mind: Adolescent Mental Health Crisis On-Demand
My Ascension • WXXI-TV
Mysteries of Mental Illness • On-Demand
Decolonizing Mental Health • On-Demand
Our Sponsors
Sponsored by:
The New York State Public Media Student Mental Health Matters Project, an initiative funded by the New York State Education Department that has called on NYS public media organizations to create a multi-platform project to help address mental health by supporting educators with resources throughout the state. The project includes broadcast offerings, online content, and special screening events. The NYS stations will also work to create news features, podcasts, and connections to educational and resources services.
Hiding in Plain Sight On-Demand
Watch the Trail above from a new documentary explores the mental health crisis among American youth. Click the button below for the full documentary.
Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness, a film presented by Ken Burns and co-produced by Erik Ewers and Christopher Loren Ewers, is a documentary about the mental health crisis among youth in America. The two-part, four-hour film is part of Well Beings, a national campaign from public media to demystify and destigmatize our physical and mental health through storytelling.
Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness features first-person accounts from more than 20 young people, ranging in age from 11 to 27, who live with mental health conditions, as well as parents, teachers, friends, healthcare providers in their lives, and independent mental health experts. The film presents an unvarnished window into daily life with mental health challenges, from seemingly insurmountable obstacles to stories of hope and resilience. Through the experiences of these young people, the film confronts the issues of stigma, discrimination, awareness, and silence, and, in doing so, help advance a shift in the public perception of mental health issues today.
The film includes the following individuals with lived experience of mental health challenges:
- A teenager who surrenders to addiction at the age of 15
- A young Native American woman who feels so isolated she contemplates suicide
- A transgender teen who goes through periods of profound joylessness and substance abuse
- A high school freshman whose childhood hallucinations intensify after a series of assaults
- A 14-year-old boy who is plagued by intrusive thoughts and withdraws into his own world
The documentary Hiding in Plain Sight is a central part of Well Beings, the multi-year, multiplatform health campaign including other feature-length documentaries, short-form original digital content, user-generated storytelling, a digital and social media campaign, community events, and educational curriculum created by WETA with support from a broad coalition of national and local partners.