Galena Students Among First In Nation To Learn Teen Mental Health First Aid
October 24, 2019
Chris Davis with Community Partnership of the Ozarks recaps the five step action plan students learn to help aid friends and peers. Whether the person is in a crisis or just at risk of developing a problem, students learn how to apply the Look Ask Listen Help Your Friend methodology.
Isaac Estes-Jones
Last week, sophomores, juniors and seniors at Galena High School completed a teen mental health first aid course from the Community Partnership of the Ozarks. Students who completed all three 75 minute trainings are among the first 2,000 teens nationwide to become certified in teen mental health first aid.
The training program was developed by the National Council for Behavioral Health in partnership with the Born This Way foundation as a way to help teens address mental health issues and crises in their peers.
Galena High School joins just 43 other schools in offering this training to their students as part of the pilot program. Chris Davis, Vice-President of Prevention and Youth Support with Community Partnership of the Ozarks (CPO) said, “This training teaches students how to help a friend who may have or be developing a mental health or substance use problem.”
The three training sessions start with basics, teaching students definitions and foundational information such as risk factors. “In the second training, we discussed how to help a friend who is having a mental health crisis where there is an immediate risk. Then the third training takes the same methods of first aid and applies them to helping someone who is possibly developing a mental health problem, but is not at immediate risk,” Davis said.
In order to offer the program, Galena High School had to send at least a certain number of staff to learn the adult component of teen mental health first aid. “Actually, Galena sent all of their high school teachers,” Davis said, “which really shows how important this is to the school and the administrators.”
This opportunity came about after students from the Biology of Public Health class presented on their concerns last year. Davis watched that presentation. “At the end, the students were asked what they would like to see more help with and they immediately said mental health. I knew we were probably going to be offering this program, so I spoke to [High School Principal] Dr. Baker and said this training might be something to think about. I am really glad to be able to bring this information to these students,” Davis said.
The training sessions were more than simple book work. Students are asked to participate, act out and think through various scenarios to help cement the lessons. The training gives the teens options and resources so they can actively help their friends.
According to the Council on Behavioral Health, “Addressing the mental health needs of teens is critically important. Half of all mental illnesses begin by age 14 and three-quarters by the mid-20s. Left unaddressed, mental health issues can lead to serious consequences for a young person’s well-being, including increased risk of dropping out of school or experiencing homelessness. Tragically, suicide is the second leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds.”
“Most youth are extremely resilient and able to live their lives through these experiences,” Davis said. “One of the key takeaways for [students] is as a friend, there is lots you can do to help. Getting help early is very important. [Students] now have some additional superpowers to help friends.”
The program helps to destigmatize talking about mental health. “Teens are resilient,” Davis said, “But the world is a lot scarier and smaller in some ways than it was before social media. For example, if there is a shooting somewhere across the country, they may see it hundreds of times, every time they open their phones. Versus before, where we would only see information about it on the news in the evening, if we decided to watch it.”
At the completion of the training at Galena, students were asked to give feedback on the program as it is still being refined. Davis said it would roll out nationally probably next year, but the developers are` still listening and hoping to refine the program even more.
At the end of each session, students filled out an “exit ticket” that was given to the councilor to help check in. “There are students who have reached out through those tickets that otherwise the staff would have no idea they were struggling,” said Ryan Lacson, who teaches the Biology of Public Health course.
“I’m really proud of what these students have done. Making this happen all came from them. They knew mental health is an important for their peers and they really helped pave the way for this,” Lacson said. “I’m also really proud of Dr. Humble [Galena Superintendent] and Dr. Baker for putting us at the forefront for this.”
According to the National Council on Behavioral Health, more schools are recognizing that they have a lifesaving role to play and are training school staff to help students with Youth Mental Health First Aid, an adult-to-adolescent program. While this is an important step, research has shown that many adolescents turn to peers for support, making programs like tMHFA that prepare youth themselves for these situations is critically important.
With the feedback from students going through the program, like those in Galena, the organization hopes to bring this training nationwide.
Last week, sophomores, juniors and seniors at Galena High School completed a teen mental health first aid course from the Community Partnership of the Ozarks. Students who completed all three 75 minute trainings are among the first 2,000 teens nationwide to become certified in teen mental health first aid.
The training program was developed by the National Council for Behavioral Health in partnership with the Born This Way foundation as a way to help teens address mental health issues and crises in their peers.
Galena High School joins just 43 other schools in offering this training to their students as part of the pilot program. Chris Davis, Vice-President of Prevention and Youth Support with Community Partnership of the Ozarks (CPO) said, “This training teaches students how to help a friend who may have or be developing a mental health or substance use problem.”
The three training sessions start with basics, teaching students definitions and foundational information such as risk factors. “In the second training, we discussed how to help a friend who is having a mental health crisis where there is an immediate risk. Then the third training takes the same methods of first aid and applies them to helping someone who is possibly developing a mental health problem, but is not at immediate risk,” Davis said.
In order to offer the program, Galena High School had to send at least a certain number of staff to learn the adult component of teen mental health first aid. “Actually, Galena sent all of their high school teachers,” Davis said, “which really shows how important this is to the school and the administrators.”
This opportunity came about after students from the Biology of Public Health class presented on their concerns last year. Davis watched that presentation. “At the end, the students were asked what they would like to see more help with and they immediately said mental health. I knew we were probably going to be offering this program, so I spoke to [High School Principal] Dr. Baker and said this training might be something to think about. I am really glad to be able to bring this information to these students,” Davis said.
The training sessions were more than simple book work. Students are asked to participate, act out and think through various scenarios to help cement the lessons. The training gives the teens options and resources so they can actively help their friends.
According to the Council on Behavioral Health, “Addressing the mental health needs of teens is critically important. Half of all mental illnesses begin by age 14 and three-quarters by the mid-20s. Left unaddressed, mental health issues can lead to serious consequences for a young person’s well-being, including increased risk of dropping out of school or experiencing homelessness. Tragically, suicide is the second leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds.”
“Most youth are extremely resilient and able to live their lives through these experiences,” Davis said. “One of the key takeaways for [students] is as a friend, there is lots you can do to help. Getting help early is very important. [Students] now have some additional superpowers to help friends.”
The program helps to destigmatize talking about mental health. “Teens are resilient,” Davis said, “But the world is a lot scarier and smaller in some ways than it was before social media. For example, if there is a shooting somewhere across the country, they may see it hundreds of times, every time they open their phones. Versus before, where we would only see information about it on the news in the evening, if we decided to watch it.”
At the completion of the training at Galena, students were asked to give feedback on the program as it is still being refined. Davis said it would roll out nationally probably next year, but the developers are` still listening and hoping to refine the program even more.
At the end of each session, students filled out an “exit ticket” that was given to the councilor to help check in. “There are students who have reached out through those tickets that otherwise the staff would have no idea they were struggling,” said Ryan Lacson, who teaches the Biology of Public Health course.
“I’m really proud of what these students have done. Making this happen all came from them. They knew mental health is an important for their peers and they really helped pave the way for this,” Lacson said. “I’m also really proud of Dr. Humble [Galena Superintendent] and Dr. Baker for putting us at the forefront for this.”
According to the National Council on Behavioral Health, more schools are recognizing that they have a lifesaving role to play and are training school staff to help students with Youth Mental Health First Aid, an adult-to-adolescent program. While this is an important step, research has shown that many adolescents turn to peers for support, making programs like tMHFA that prepare youth themselves for these situations is critically important.
With the feedback from students going through the program, like those in Galena, the organization hopes to bring this training nationwide.