GSP is an approved Teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) Implementation Site in Maryland and we are offering tMHFA.

The last two years have presented Black and Brown students with unprecedented challenges. Adolescents are being called upon to provide support for their peers for depression, anxiety, aggression, bullying, cyberbullying, and substance abuse.  They lack self-management and coping skills and need to be adequately equipped for this role.  To make matters worse, the recent school shootings make children and their parents lack confidence in their safety at school and in their community.  These challenges have pushed the mental health of teenagers to a breaking point putting this population in a state of emergency, especially given the reduced access to health care.  In response to this crisis, we created our “It Takes a Village: Severing Ties with Generational Trauma,” program because we saw a need to focus on students’ social and emotional development as well as their academic and life success, recognizing that they are intertwined and mutually reinforcing.

Why teen Mental Health First Aid? The last two years have presented Black and Brown students with unprecedented challenges, adolescents are being called upon to provide support for their peers for depression, anxiety, aggression, bullying, cyberbullying, substance abuse, they lack the self-management and coping skills and need to be adequately equipped for this role. To make matters worse, the recent school shootings, make children, and their parents lack confidence in their safety at school/community. In response to this crisis, we created “It Takes a Village” tMHFA program, because we saw a need to focus on students’ social and emotional development as well as their academic and life success, recognizing that they are intertwined and mutually reinforcing.

TMHFA training program helps teens develop knowledge and skills in:

• Recognizing warning signs that a peer is developing a mental health problem
• Understanding how to talk to a peer about mental health and seeking help, when and how to tell a responsible adult
• Where to find appropriate and helpful resources about mental illness and professional help
• How to respond in a crisis situation
• The TMHFA program aims to increase mental health literacy, decrease stigmatizing attitudes toward individuals with mental illness, and improve TMHFA behaviors
• Gives youth and their families access to the invaluable resources, they need to feel confident in their physical, social, and emotional safety.

WHAT IT COVERS:

• Common signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges
• Common signs and symptoms of a mental health crisis, particularly suicide
• The impact of school violence and bullying on mental health
• How to open the conversation about mental illnesses and substance use with friends
• How to seek the help of a responsible and trusted adult

WHO TAKES tMHFA?

• Teens in grades 10-12 or ages 15-18
• High schools, organizations partnering with a high school, and youth-serving organizations are eligible to teach tMHFA.

THREE WAYS TO TEACH AND LEARN:

• In-person – Lessons are conducted in person in six 45-minute sessions or three 90-minute sessions.
• Blended – Teens complete a self-paced online lesson, then participate in six live, Instructor-led sessions.

These Instructor-led sessions can be:

• Video conferences.
• In-person classes.