CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

OUR VIEW: Continued funding needed for youth mental health trainings

Faribault Daily News - 6/15/2017

Saying that adolescence is a difficult and confusing time is hardly new, surprising or even controversial. James Dean's character, Jim Stark, in "Rebel Without a Cause" opened the nation's eyes to the struggles of American teens. It debuted in 1955.

From peer pressure to hormonal changes and everything in between, the teenage years can be an emotional roller coaster, even for the most well adjusted kids.

With our world becoming more and more complicated and the pressures on our youth more intense, it's good to know Rice County teens have caring adults trained to spot the signs of crisis in youth and connect them with those who can help.

Thanks to a 2½-year federal grant to Northfield Public Schools, which collaborated with the Rice County Mental Health Collective and Northfield Hospital & Clinics, 650 locals who work with adolescents have been trained in youth mental health first aid. Among those 650: school staffers, health care professionals and law enforcement personnel. Since the trainings began, 5,000 referrals have been made.

Rice County's not alone. According to the National Alliance for Mental Illness, one in five teens and young adults live with a mental health condition. Half develop the condition by age 14 and three quarters by 24. Just as important, says NAMI, the earlier an individual receives mental health services and support the better.

The local training covers recognizing the warning signs in teens - everything from an abundance of stress to a serious mental health or substance abuse issue - and helping connect kids to the proper resources before larger problems develop. Resources run the gamut from self-help strategies to more intense interventions.

And while those who've been trained will continue to keep their eyes out for potential problems, the grant's end means funding to pay the county's 13 certified instructors ends as well. To remain certified, trainers must hold three eight-hour sessions per year. Sessions are typically split between two days.

Continued training is not just desirable, it's necessary. Trainees will move, change jobs, retire; leaving gaps in the safety net. As new information becomes available, refresher courses may be needed.

New funding must be sought. Our children's health is well worth the effort.