M Health Fairview and community partners bring innovative teen mental health course to local high school students
As students return to in-person learning and reconnect with peers, M Health Fairview is partnering with Princeton Public Schools and The Heart and Mind Connection to offer one of the first teen Mental Health First Aid programs in Minnesota.
Overseen by the National Council for Behavioral Health, Mental Health First Aid is an evidence-based community education course that introduces participants to the risk factors and warning signs of common mental illnesses and substance use disorders. There are a variety of classes and materials for different age groups and professions.
The teen program, which launched in 2019, trains students to recognize mental health warning signs, start honest conversations with friends, and direct peers to helpful resources. Beginning in September of the 2021-22 school year, every sophomore at Princeton High School will take the teen course – which includes six 45-minute trainings.
This June, all high school staff and faculty will complete the seven-and-a-half-hour Youth Mental Health First Aid training, designed for adults working with kids ages 12 to 18. Both courses will be supported by Fairview Foundation and other external funders.
M Health Fairview’s Community Advancement team reached out to Princeton Public Schools and The Heart and Mind Connection to initiate the program.
“As the largest mental health care provider in the Upper Midwest, our commitment to mental health goes beyond the care we provide in our hospitals and clinics,” said John Swanholm, M Health Fairview vice president of community advancement. “This partnership reinforces that commitment.”
The trainings will be facilitated by The Heart and Mind Connection, a Minnesota nonprofit focused on peer-run mental health advocacy and awareness programs. The Heart and Mind Connection will teach both courses and help the district provide outreach and information to the Princeton community.
From 2007 to 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a 76 percent increase in the suicide rate for teens ages 15 to 19. Social isolation and the widespread loss of life due to COVID-19 have added more challenges. From April to October 2020, the number of pediatric mental health visits – among all pediatric emergency department visits – increased 31 percent for ages 12 to 17.
“Being a teen can be hard enough without the added stresses of a pandemic. It’s so important to provide teens with the skills to identify when they or their peers may be facing a mental health or substance use challenge,” said Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Jessica Cici, MD, who serves as medical director of child and adolescent psychiatry with M Health Fairview. Cici is also an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota Medical School. “Teens will often go to their peers before an adult, so giving kids the tools they need to seek the appropriate resources for help is invaluable.”
Like CPR, Mental Health First Aid prepares participants to support someone experiencing a mental health problem and connect them with appropriate professional help. The youth and teen curriculum are specifically designed for each group and focus on their unique experiences and needs.
