Alera for Schools

⏳ Long waiting times and capacity gaps

• Outpatient psychotherapy and child/adolescent psychiatry show persistent bottlenecks.
• Schools often hold support pressure while specialist care is delayed.

Rodney-Wolf et al. (2025)

🧩 Fragmented systems

• School, healthcare, and youth welfare often operate with different mandates and handover logic.
• Referral routes and coordination remain difficult in practice.

Boege et al. (2018)

🫥 Low help-seeking despite need

• Stigma, uncertainty, and fear of disclosure reduce uptake even when offers exist.
• Availability does not automatically translate into reach.

Baldofski et al. (2024)

🕒 Implementation strain inside schools

• Limited time, staff turnover, competing priorities, and sustainability constraints hinder rollout.
• This is a recurring implementation barrier in secondary schools.

Equit et al. (2025)

🌍 Equity gaps

• Refugee and migrant adolescents face amplified barriers (language, trust, navigation, discrimination).
• Support pathways need to be low-friction and inclusive by design.

Podar et al. (2022)

⚡ Immediate access

• Students can use Alera the moment they feel overwhelmed.
• No waiting list. No appointment. No referral chain.

🙂 Low barrier by design

• Anonymous use
• No email required
• No teacher involvement to start

🧭 Supports help-seeking

• Alera does not replace therapy.
• It can increase readiness to talk to counselors, trusted adults, psychotherapists, and doctors.

🧘 Reduces pressure on school staff

• Supports mild stress, rumination, emotional overload, and everyday strain.
• Helps staff focus on complex cases.

🚫 Clear boundaries

• Not psychotherapy
• Not a medical device / not a DiGA
• Not a diagnosis tool
• Not crisis intervention

Who Alera is for

• Students experiencing stress, worry, and overthinking
• Young people who hesitate to talk to adults
• 16+ independently; under 16 with parental consent