You’re Invited
Please join Sheila for the defense of her doctoral dissertation at Auburn University.
Date: December 1, 2025 at 1:30 p.m. Central
Candidate: Sheila Sjolseth, Ed.M., M.S.
Supporting Families During Adolescents’ Transition from Acute Psychiatric Care to Home and School Environments
This research examines how families navigate one of the most challenging transitions they may ever face, bringing their teenager home after a short-term psychiatric hospitalization. Through the voices of caregiving couples in the Southeastern United States, Sheila will share what families experience during discharge and how they learn to share (or protect) their child’s mental health story over time.
“Whether you’re joining in person or virtually, I’m grateful you’re here.” Sheila
Zoom Link: https://auburn.zoom.us/j/83562634156?jst=1
Or Telephone: Meeting ID: 835 6263 4156
Dial: +1 309 205 3325 (US Toll)
or +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll)
When: Monday, December 1st
• 1:30-2:30 – Public portion of the defense
• 2:30-3:30 – Private meeting with committee
Special thanks to her committee members, Drs. Mallory Lucier-Greer, Brian Gillis, Scott Ketring, and Stephen Erath, and to her outside reader, Dr. Andrew Pendola, Associate Professor in the Educational Leadership program in the Department of Educational Foundations, Leadership, and Technology.
Handout for Dissertation Presentation:
The Dissertation
This qualitative, two-study dissertation pursued three core aims:
- Identify Institutional Gaps
Examine what caregivers need during the discharge process and how institutional support does, or doesn’t, meet those needs. (Study 1) - Understand Disclosure Decision-Making
Explore how families navigate the high-stakes question of who to tell about their teenager’s hospitalization—>balancing privacy, stigma, and the need for resources. (Study 2) - Develop Practical Recommendations
Generate actionable insights for clinicians, schools, and community organizations to better support families during this critical transition.
Feedback Survey: Share Your Thoughts (Estimated time: 3-5 minutes) — Your feedback helps strengthen this work and its translation into practice. Whether you’re a researcher, practitioner, family member, or community member, your perspective matters.
Link to Survey: https://auburn.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_efVSTYFGxt13XJI
Thank You | From Sheila
To complete this journey, I asked families to revisit some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives, the phone calls no parent expects, the hospital corridors, and the sleepless nights wondering if they were doing enough. And yet, they said yes. They trusted me with their stories, their pain, and their hard-won wisdom.
To the families who participated in this research: You are the heart of this work. Your willingness to be vulnerable so that other families might feel less alone is a gift I will carry with me throughout my career. You taught me that strength doesn’t mean having all the answers. It means showing up, again and again, even when the systems intended to help you fall short.
“One day she was under supervision 24/7 and the next it was just us, with no real idea what to do.”
Your words matter. They will reach clinicians rethinking discharge protocols, educators creating safer school re-entries, and policymakers who need to understand that these are not edge cases. These are our neighbors, our colleagues, and our communities.
To everyone joining me today: Whether you’re here as a committee member who has shaped my thinking, a colleague who has encouraged me through the hard parts, a student curious about where research can lead, or a family member who has believed in me longer than I’ve believed in myself; thank you for being part of this moment.
This dissertation is not the end of a conversation. It’s an invitation to continue one. If something in this research resonates with you, challenges you, or sparks an idea, I hope you’ll reach out. The families who trusted me with their stories deserve to see that trust transformed into action.
With deep gratitude,
Sheila
December 2025
Sheila Sjolseth 