December 2024 Edition

School of the Month

Columbus County District Team launches teen Mental Health First Aid

by Jessica Edwards & Angela Mendell

THE BACKGROUND

First aid training is a valuable skill that many individuals pursue, particularly as it is often necessary for specific certifications and job applications across various careers. This training plays a crucial role in society by enabling individuals to respond effectively in physical emergencies, providing assistance until professional help arrives. 

Similarly, Mental Health First Aid* serves as an important initiative aimed at preparing people to support others during times of mental health crises or substance abuse emergencies. The objective is to equip individuals with the knowledge and skills to assist those in need until a trusted adult or a mental health professional can provide further help. Both types of training are essential for fostering a supportive and responsive community.

Taking this a step further, studies show that teens prefer talking to their peers about mental health concerns, and on top of that, many teens cannot identify a trusted adult in their lives, furthering the likelihood for them to share concerns with a peer rather than an adult. With this information,  “the National Council for Mental Wellbeing adapted the teen Mental Health First Aid training from Australia to make it relevant for teens in the USA, with input from national mental health experts and teens across the country.” - Mental Health First Aid manual

THE NEED

The following story is about a school district team that: 

1. identifies needs
2. creates action plans to address needs
3. collaborates with students 
4. requests and receives support on topics outside their expertise
5. trains their staff before implementing new strategies and procedures
6. prioritizes the whole-child approach to education
7. commits to reaching students and staff through a trauma-informed lens.

Two members of the Columbus County District Resilience Team hold regular meetings with a student council advisory board comprised of representatives from each high school in the county. During the 2023-2024 school year, the district team invited Angela Mendell and Elizabeth DeKonty to participate in one of the student council advisory meetings. Reflecting on this meeting, Angela stated, "You can tell that these students know their voices are valued and heard!" During this meeting, questions regarding mental health awareness were discussed.

Here are some of the questions asked and answered during this particular meeting: 

• "Do you know how to advocate for yourself?"

A few shook their heads yes, many said in some cases, and others stated that

many students do not know how to do this.

• "Is mental health something you think about?"

YES

• "Is there something this group would like to learn more about?"

Ways to handle stress - most common answer shared

Most were interested in teen Mental Health First Aid when offered as a suggestion.

After the meeting, a discussion began about offering teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) to the high schools in the district. Angela Mendell was already a certified trainer, and the district had trained a significant majority of its staff in Youth Mental Health First Aid, which is intended for adults working with young people. To provide this program, schools must adhere to a specific checklist, which includes the presence of a licensed mental health professional on campus during the sessions. Additionally, a certain percentage of staff members must be trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid, and finally, involving parents or caregivers is essential.

The district team and Angela sent home letters explaining the tMHFA program to all parents. These letters provided an option to opt out and included contact information for any questions. Parents also had the opportunity to attend information sessions. All staff members, regardless of their training status, participated in an information session, and all students involved in the training attended a separate session as well.

In addition to the checklist, the district needed to address concerns related to time constraints, staff turnover, and other logistical issues. The materials required for the program, specifically the tMHFA manuals, were funded through a separate grant. Angela Mendell would conduct the training for students in partnership with Resilience & Learning. The only significant challenge would be determining the best time to integrate this program into the school day.

The Plan

The Columbus County district resilience team and Angela decided to launch this initiative at the start of the 2024-2025 school year, allowing sufficient time for scheduling the program. 

This semester, the initiative was implemented in two high schools: West Columbus High School and East Columbus High School. A total of approximately 240 sophomore students participated in the tMHFA training. Each school scheduled the training sessions to be conducted over three ninety-minute sessions throughout the semester. Students who complete all three sessions will receive a certificate of completion.

Both schools have plans for all freshmen students to receive the tMHFA training in the spring semester as well.  The goal is to continue tMHFA training in more high schools in the following years. The overarching dream is that each high school would train Youth Mental Health First Aid trusted adults and train teen Mental Health First Aid freshmen and sophomore students. Imagine the impact this could have on high school students and families!  

Some may question whether this information adds to the existing burdens that high school students face during this challenging time in their lives. The answer is no; this training actually helps destigmatize mental health and defines it as "the health of a person's mind, encompassing their thoughts, feelings, and actions. Mental health can vary from healthy to poor (or in crisis)." Additionally, this training provides students with a 5-step Action Plan designed to ease the burden of managing a friend's or classmate's mental health challenges or crises.

5-Step Action Plan

THE IMPACT

At the end of every session, students are required to fill out an exit ticket. (see image below)

The purpose of this exit ticket is to inform trusted adults about any students in a mental health crisis, address any questions the students may have after the sessions, and summarize what the students learned during the session. If a student indicates that they are in crisis, the school counselor will be notified immediately.

Here are some quotes from exit tickets collected during this semester: 

• “I learned how trauma can affect mental health.”
• “I learned that 1 in 5 teens have a mental health challenge by the time they reach 18.”
• “It’s okay to talk to others whom you trust about your situation.”
• “Mental health matters.”
• “Your thinking can affect your feelings and your actions.”
• “Go to an adult if my friend is in a crisis situation.”
• “How to tell if someone needs help.”
• “The correct way to ask someone if they are suicidal.”
• “How to help a friend struggling with self-harm.”

Any questions listed by the students on their exit tickets will be discussed and answered in the next session. These exit tickets provide valuable feedback and serve as a resource for students who may have unanswered questions or require assistance.

While measuring the true impact of initiatives like this may be challenging, reviewing some exit tickets demonstrates the internal shift in students' thinking. Even if only two goals are achieved—1) destigmatization of mental health and 2) implementing a 5-step action plan—a significant positive impact has been made.

December 17th was the last session for sophomore students at West Columbus High School and East Columbus High School.

In reflection, these are some quotes from students as to what they learned during this training:

• "This class is very important and informative"
• "This class is very helpful for people that have friends so they can look for their problems and help them."
• "This class is very helpful for people at this school. It can help some others open their eyes and see their friends or themselves need help.
• "I enjoyed the class and I think that it is important for every teen to take it."
• "I think this is a beneficial class and should be an actual class in school."
• "I think this course has been a great resource and should be more common."

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We asked an expert in educational psychology, an elementary special education teacher, and a student with dyslexia and dyscalculia to answer the following question during a recent EdWeek K-12 Essentials Forum: What do you wish all teachers knew about students with learning differences?

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Empowering Youth: the impact of teen Mental Health First Aid

In recent years, the alarming rise in teen mental health challenges has sparked a wave of initiatives, including one that is showing great promise. The National Council's teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) curriculum is an evidence-based course that is designed to equip teenagers with the skills to recognize and respond to mental health challenges among their peers. Its goal is to empower young people to support one another.

Asheville City Schools acting in service: 'It's restored my faith in humanity'

LaTonya Best, exceptional children support specialist, sat at the welcome table, beckoning families in with their lists of needs.

"We ar all in this together, and we want them to know that they are loved. This right here, community," she gestures to the volunteers sorting, stacking, and packing in the auditorium, "it really warms my heart."

Resilience & Learning Senior Program Manager of Professional Learning

2023-2024 Resilience & Learning Impact Survey

Elizabeth DeKonty

Director

NC Center for Resilience & Learning

(Raleigh, NC)

Eulanda Thorne

Program Manager

NC Center for Resilience & Learning

(Wilson, NC)

Brian Randall

Western Senior Program Manager

NC Center for Resilience & Learning

(Asheville, NC)

Michelle Harris Jefferson

Sr. Program Manager of Professional Learning

NC Center for Resilience & Learning

(Greensboro, NC)

Orlando Dobbin, Jr

Eastern Senior Program Manager

NC Center for Resilience & Learning

(Greenville, NC)

Stacey Craig

Program Manager

NC Center for Resilience & Learning

(Raleigh, NC)

Leslie Blaich

Program Manager

NC Center for Resilience & Learning

(Asheville , NC)

Rebecca Stern

Consultant

NC Center for Resilience & Learning

(Carrboro, NC)

Ervin Jones

Consultant

NC Center for Resilience & Learning

(Elizabeth City, NC)

Katie Rosanbalm

Research & Evaluation Partner

NC Center for Resilience & Learning

(Duke University)

Whitney N. McCoy, Ph.D

Research & Evaluation Partner

(Duke University)

Jessica Edwards

Program Coordinator

NC Center for Resilience & Learning

(Nashville, NC)

The Resilience Reader is published monthly by the Public School Forum of NC and distributed to Forum members, educators, policymakers, donors, media, and subscribers -- or anyone interested in issues such as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), childhood trauma, resilience and the power of trauma-informed schools and communities.

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