Description

Upon completion of this conference, participants will be able to:

1. Better recognize what mental health literacy looks like (and does not look like) for adolescents in under-resourced communities.
2. Understand why siloed school-based efforts often fall short.
3. Acknowledge how an integrated, collaborative framework supports the advancement of mental health literacy.

 

Presenter Bio:

Nikki Adams, MSW, LCSW, is a Doctoral Candidate in the Doctor of Social Work (DSW) program at the University of Kentucky, with a concentration in Administrative Leadership. She earned her Bachelor of Social Work degree from Shippensburg University in 2012 and her Master of Social Work degree from Millersville University in 2014. Nikki is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Pennsylvania Certified School Social Worker. She also provides clinical social work supervision.

With over 10 years of school-based social work experience, Nikki currently serves as the Senior Manager of Student Health Services at Milton Hershey School, a top-tier, private residential school where qualifying students receive an exceptional educational experience, with all costs covered. In this role, she provides administrative leadership and coordination of comprehensive student health services, emphasizing equitable access to care, interdisciplinary collaboration, and systems-level approaches to student wellness. She also serves on the Central Board of Governors of Valley Youth House, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering vulnerable youth and those experiencing homelessness through supportive relationships, shelter, counseling, life skills training, and community connections that foster positive futures.

Nikki’s research interests focus on equitable access to healthcare, health, and mental health literacy among under-resourced communities, and her doctoral capstone project examines mental health literacy among adolescents from low-income families. Her work explores practice-informed, school-based strategies to improve mental health knowledge, help-seeking behaviors, and organizational responses to student mental health needs, emphasizing integrated, collaborative approaches that engage and activate external partners to promote sustainable and coordinated interventions.

 

Delivery Method: Live Interactive Training via Zoom Video Conferencing

Credit Hours: 1.0 (ACE)

Target Audience: This conference is intended for social workers and students.

Accreditation: University of Kentucky College of Social Work, Provider # 1377, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 9/29/25-9/29/28. Social workers participating in this conference will receive up to 15 general continuing education credits.

Claiming CE Credit: Instructions for claiming CE credit will be disseminated at the beginning of each session.

Questions: If you have any questions regarding CE credit or to report a grievance, please contact Christina Krantz at Christina.Krantz@uky.edu. For technical assistance, please contact lmshelp@uky.edu.

 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in these presentations are those of the individual presenters and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of the University of Kentucky or the College of Social Work. The inclusion of any topics, perspectives, or discussions is intended for academic engagement and does not constitute endorsement by the institution.