A study to increase mental health awareness among teens ended last week at Jefferson High School, one of only eight high schools in the nation chosen to participate.
The first of its kind developed for high school students in the U.S., the Teen Mental Health First Aid pilot program is run by the National Council for Behavioral Health and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation and will be evaluated by researchers from Johns Hopkins University.
“It’s pretty cool that nobody else even close to where we are have the same training.” said senior Ashley Pankratz on April 23, the last day of training related to the study.
About 170 sophomores, juniors and seniors — and many teachers — took part in the pilot program, which was designed to teach high school students about mental illnesses and addictions and how to identify and respond to such problems should they arise among their peers. Students were taught in five 45-minute classroom sessions in April.
School librarian Sarah Layng was among their instructors. She had been chosen as the local project lead and attended certification training in Las Vegas in preparation.
Layng said she was happy with how well the pilot study went and that it was well-received by students.
“I didn’t feel it was dumbed down,” she said of the curriculum, noting that it treated teens “as real people with real feelings and emotions.”
Most students were excited about participating, Layng said.
“I was really proud of them for that,” she said. “You never know, if there’s not a grade or stake in it, how they’re going to respond.”
Junior Jadyn Bellander said that after going through the program, she feels “a lot more confident if someone were to come to me with a mental health challenge.”
She also learned it was important not to take responsibility for someone suffering a mental health crisis and to get an adult involved as soon as possible, she said.
Teen Mental Health First Aid instruction materials stress that students are not being trained or expected to act as counselors. Layng said concern about this caused some parents to not allow their teens to participate in the pilot.
“I think that was the main reluctance of parents, which is a good reason,” she said.
Senior Bryce Harrington said his parents supported him taking part, believing that the skills would give him “another tool to help me become a better friend.”
Already the program seems to have made a difference at the school. Layng said she has noticed a boost in student morale, while Principal Mike Moodry said he has “observed more students acting with compassion and genuine concern for their peers.”
Layng said the study isn’t completely finished at the school. She said she needs to hold five make-up sessions for students who missed some of the classroom sessions.
In addition, about 60 of the students had agreed to complete pre- and post-training surveys, Layng said.
Moodry said that in the future Teen Mental Health First Aid training would be incorporated into the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program at the school.
“This will be a huge help for us to advance that training,” he said.
The school will also offer another staff training in the summer or fall so that they can extend the training to the entire student body, Moodry said.
“Then if we have four grades [trained], we’ll see a major notable difference,” he said.
Layng said she and Superintendent Tim Norbeck have heard from colleagues at other schools who have inquired about teaching Teen Mental Health First Aid at their schools.
The National Council for Behavioral Health has previously stated that the training will be made available to the public following analysis of the pilot study.
The school will celebrate the students’ participation in the study 8 a.m. May 13, when participating students will get their certificates and a T-shirt.
“I hope they realize what a big part they are of something so powerful,” Layng said.
