Santa Barbara’s Rendy Freedman on ‘Supporting Our Adults’

Twenty-three years ago, the shooting at Columbine High School horrified the nation and put a spotlight on the perilous disaffection of teens. It brought about changes in school security, including metal detectors, guards, and police training. It inspired dozens of movies, TV shows, and books; thousands of articles; and millions of words. In Santa Barbara, it gave impetus to a program designed to address the social and emotional health of teens. The brainchild of two therapists, Rendy Freedman and Jennifer Freed, it began as a small summer workshop in 1999 and grew into a nationally recognized program. AHA! has now worked with more than 35,000 teens and 2,500 educators and trainers both within and outside the schools.

“We never set out to create a big nonprofit,” says Freedman. “We just followed the work and followed what was needed, and more and more teens joined our programs, and then we were invited to go into the schools, which led to an enormous impact.” 

After two decades, Freedman will be transitioning from Clinical Director of AHA! in July. Her final initiative, “Supporting Our Adults,” is offering six free counseling sessions for both educators and parents/guardians of teens who are enrolled or will enroll in an AHA! program.