Now Serving Communities in MetroWest Boston, Rhode Island, and Eastern Connecticut
BRAVER SCHOOLS
Multi-Tiered System Supports for Anxious Youth
Anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders are together the most prevalent mental health conditions in youth. School administrators — even those with counseling teams experienced supporting students with learning differences and ADHD — can struggle with the frequent nurse and counselor visits, absenteeism, academic underperformance, and social isolation driven by anxiety. Braver partners on the full range of systemic supports essential for anxiety-informed schools. At each tier, Braver's licensed psychologists, trained coaches, and integrated prescribers bolster the existing efforts of school staff and families.
The clinical foundation of Braver's interventions is Exposure with Response Prevention (“exposure therapy”), the evidence-based standard of care for anxiety and OCD. Exposure informs effective school and family responses to anxiety and can be delivered clinically by Braver teams where students need it: on campus, at home, or via telehealth. Braver's founders refined this team-based model over a decade with close school collaboration at Brown University and launched Braver in 2022 to bring it to scale.
TIER 1
Universal Prevention & Education (Whole School)
Expert Psychoeducation and Professional Development: Braver provides talks, workshops, and accessible online materials for staff, parents, and students with destigmatizing language that shifts behavior from common but unhelpful momentary distress avoidance to resilience and brave behavior.
TIER 2
Targeted Consultation (Early Intervention)
Team Support, Crisis Prevention & De-escalation: Braver's clinical psychologists provide case-specific consultations to your school counselors, nurses, and learning specialists, and help your team design strategic plans for early signs of avoidance and for de-escalation to prevent refusal and crisis.
TIER 3
Intensive Clinical Intervention (Direct Care)
Care Delivery Before, During, and After School: Braver mobile exposure coaches, psychologists, and prescribers conduct sessions with students and families based on their specific challenges — before school, during a free period via telehealth or on campus, or after class.
School Re-entry & Avoidance: We coach students through the return to classrooms, academic tasks, and social interactions after absenteeism and hospitalization.
Comprehensive Care and Collaboration: Our teams' integrated prescribers, support for parents and caregivers, and care coordination create an effective single point of contact for schools.
Financial Accessibility: Braver is in-network with most major commercial health plans, reducing the cost of direct care and maximizing access.
Professional Development Curriculum
Braver's professional development course gives school staff and community members practical, evidence-based tools for supporting anxious youth. The curriculum is organized into four modules:
1
Braver Schools' Mission
- Increase access to evidence-based care
- Empower school staff and community members
- Address and dispel common anxiety myths
2
Anxiety Foundations
- Introduce learners to the concepts most crucial to understanding childhood anxiety
- Identify ways anxiety may be behind common classroom behaviors
3
Breaking the Cycle
- Empower schools to respond effectively to the childhood anxiety epidemic
- Create lasting change and build resilience in anxious students
4
Creating a Community
- Identify students who may need extra support
- Understand your role in a collaborative care team
Anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder are the most prevalent mental health conditions amongst young people. Access to mental healthcare is limited — access to effective care even more so. By offering this course and our other professional and clinical services, Braver's goal is to help more adults have a positive impact on the lives of anxious youth, and build caring communities that support resilience and a culture of facing our fears.
The Rhode Island Model of Pediatric Anxiety Care
Team-based care with Braver's mobile exposure coach workforce is solving the child anxiety crisis right now in Rhode Island. Braver plays two roles in the system of care: providing direct care to children and families, and partnering across the community for model adoption. Schools are one of four pillars of that system, alongside hospitals and community care, payers, and workforce development.
WHERE YOUR SCHOOL FITS IN
Schools
- MTSS Tier 1 professional development
- MTSS Tier 2 clinical consultation
- MTSS Tier 3 clinical services
- Impact assessment
Hospitals & Community Care
- Needs assessment & implementation support
- Quality improvement & accountability
- Knowledge translation
- Software tools & service revision
Payers
- Alignment and trust building
- Quality improvement & outcome collection
- Reimbursement innovation
- Team-based outpatient care
Workforce Development
With employers, higher education, and state agencies
- Talent acquisition & placement
- Curricula development & training platform
- Credentialing
- Impact assessment & training revision
Let's collaborate to bring solutions to your community.
Formal Partnerships
Partnerships create rapid access to evidence-based anxiety care, providing parents and staff with the confidence their school is anxiety-informed and prepared to handle the most common mental health challenge for students. We welcome the opportunity to explore how Braver can best support your staff and students. Contact collab@bebraver.com to learn more.