Designing Preventative Mental Health Education
Most of us grew up learning math, reading, and science as “the basics.” But what if understanding your brain, emotions, and relationships were on that same list? What if those were taught as early as age three?
That’s exactly what Jessica Gomez, Psy.D., L.P., and the Momentous Institute want to do. They want to normalize preventatitive mental health education for children, and they are building the curriculum in their laboratory school to prove it. Dr. Gomez, a licensed psychologist and Executive Director of Momentous Institute, recently joined the Learning From Leaders podcast. During the episode, Dr. Gomez argued that youth mental health can’t be solved solely by reacting to a crisis. It requires prevention and practical, everyday skills taught early and reinforced by families, schools, and community systems.
“Education isn’t just about learning how to do math and science and critical thinking, but it’s about learning how to encompass the human experience.”
Jessica Gomez, Psy.D., L.P.
In a moment when stress levels feel historically high, and schools are absorbing the aftershocks of COVID-era disruption, Dr. Gomez describes the challenge plainly: “We are in a different ballpark completely.”
Key Takeaways
- Prevention beats crisis response. Teaching kids how brains and emotions work as early as age three can change long-term outcomes.
- Families need support, not blame. Therapy works best when it strengthens the whole family system.
- Language and culture matter in healing. Therapy works best when communicated in your natural – or emotional – language.
- Technology needs boundaries. Kids still need nature, connection, and sustained attention practice.
- Dallas is built for collaboration. Progress accelerates when organizations combine strengths rather than reinventing the wheel.
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What Momentous Institute Does Differently Around Mental Health Education
Momentous Institute sits at the intersection of education and mental health, with a model that blends direct services, early prevention, and research.
Dr. Gomez explains the organization provides therapy services for community members who otherwise wouldn’t have access, totaling “about 12,000 sessions a year.” The focus isn’t only the child; it also involves working with the family system and the child’s loved ones.
The piece that tends to surprise people is the laboratory elementary school. The idea is simple and radical: don’t wait until adulthood to learn how your brain and emotions interact. Teach it as early as preschool.
Dr. Gomez puts it this way: “Imagine this. You don’t have to wait to get to graduate school to learn how your brain works… We’re teaching it to three-year-olds and four-year-olds and continuing through fifth grade.”
That “laboratory” approach means the school is both a learning environment and a proving ground. They are testing what helps kids thrive academically and emotionally, then translating what works into resources that can travel far beyond North Texas.
The Mental Health Landscape Has Changed and Schools Felt It First
From Dr. Gomez’s perspective, there was a major shift in the mental health landscape following the COVID-19 pandemic. She calls the post-COVID reality a “collective trauma,” noting that the effects still show up across age groups. From young children to teens to college students, she’s seeing learning loss, rising stressors at home, and the emotional weight students are carrying into classrooms.
And those pressures don’t stop at the school doors. Dr. Gomez points out that those added stressors are showing up in the therapy room, the classroom, and in the workplace. The mental health conversation is no longer about severe mental illness or crisis. It’s about the human experience as a whole across our entire lives.
That matters because it changes how communities should respond. Solutions can’t be limited to one-time programs or emergency-only interventions. The answer has to be integrated into daily life: teaching skills early, supporting caregivers, and strengthening the adults around kids.
Social Media, AI, and the TikTok Attention Span
Dr. Gomez takes a balanced stance on technology: “It is a tool,” she says, and it shouldn’t be thrown out entirely. But she’s clear about the risk when kids’ brains are trained on constant short bursts of stimulation.
She calls it the TikTok attention span: those 30-second bursts of dopamine users get from endlessly scrolling through short-form content. According to Dr. Gomez, these algorithms are rewiring the human brain in real time and can affect a child’s ability to sustain focus during learning tasks that require sustained concentration, such as reading, math, testing, and complex problem-solving.
Her advice to parents:
- Don’t give “carte blanche” device time without knowing what’s on the screen.
- Review apps and content.
- Set clear boundaries, and replace screen time with something concrete (sports, nature, bike rides, community time).
- Model the habits you want your children to practice. That means parents need to limit their own screen time and practice what they preach.
We are also living in an AI boom, and it’s easy to see the negative scenarios that “could” happen. However, Dr. Gomez highlights what technology cannot replace: our brains. “Technology will never replace the need for a right-brain-to-right-brain connection. We thrive, and we heal in that.”
Why Multilingual Therapy is a Must
Dr. Gomez speaks from lived experience when she explains why mental health care and therapy must be done in a person’s native language.
Spanish was her first language, and she describes how emotional healing tends to happen in a person’s “emotional language.” When her family found therapy support, the clinician didn’t speak their language or understand their culture. She remembers how much extra effort that created for a child already struggling.
That experience shaped her purpose: “I don’t ever want another child having to go through this… no one should have to struggle for nearly a decade.” In a region with rapidly shifting demographics, culturally responsive care is also a workforce issue: recruiting and training professionals who reflect the communities they serve, and building systems that reduce barriers to access.
Reaching 1 Million Children by 2031
Momentous Institute set a goal that intentionally felt intimidating. They want to reach 1 million children and families by 2031. Dr. Gomez describes it as a number that made leaders a little nervous because it demanded new thinking. Their strategy is twofold: direct impact through treatment and the ripple effect that comes from their research, curriculum, and partnerships.
One local-to-global amplifier is the Salesmanship Club of Dallas and THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, a major fundraiser that supports a significant portion of Momentous Institute’s work. Dr. Gomez also describes May’s “Squeeze the Day” campaign as a way to make mental health feel accessible through small daily actions and community partnerships.
Mission Connection: Why It Matters to Southwestern Medical Foundation
At Southwestern Medical Foundation, our mission is rooted in advancing better health outcomes through support of medical research, education, and care.
Dr. Gomez’s message aligns with a core belief that health is shaped long before someone enters a clinic. Prevention, early intervention, and community collaboration reduce suffering upstream, especially for children and families facing barriers to care.
When we invest in mental and behavioral health with evidence-based impact, we strengthen the foundation of lifelong wellness. That’s the kind of community impact Southwestern Medical Foundation exists to champion.
FAQs
What is Momentous Institute?
A Dallas-based organization that provides therapy, runs a laboratory elementary school, and shares research-backed mental health education tools to help children and families thrive.
Why does bilingual therapy matter?
Because healing often happens in a person’s first – or emotional – language, and cultural understanding reduces barriers that can keep families from fully benefiting from care.
How should parents set healthier tech boundaries?
Know what kids are viewing, set clear limits, and replace screen time with connection, nature, movement, and device-free family routines.
What is “Squeeze the Day”?
A Mental Health Awareness Month campaign encouraging simple daily actions – community, nature, rest, and connection – to make mental wellness feel doable and accessible.
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