A Healthy Lynnfield has brought mental health training programs to the town’s high school as a way of educating students, teachers, and coaches on how they can nurture an environment where teens feel comfortable discussing mental health.
It’s part of a response to data, acquired from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey taken every other year by students, which indicates that issues of depression and anxiety are major concerns, a trend that worsened due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We had already known from the administrators and the staff that there was a priority for that,” said Diana DeLeo, the Outreach Coordinator for A Healthy Lynnfield. “We have the data to show that it’s a priority for the kids in terms of how they feel about having a trusted adult they can go to.”
With this information, A Healthy Lynnfield has worked with Principal Patricia Puglisi to integrate suicide prevention training through a mental health first aid model, which has taught adults in the school the correct way to respond when a student confides in them.
As a result, LHS has been able to address issues that can be uncomfortable to discuss without having the proper knowledge. The response from students and staff so far has been nothing but positive.
“I hear that they appreciated the programs, and they got things out of the program,” said Puglisi. “We’re always looking for ways to support our students’ mental health and we always feel very supported by A Healthy Lynnfield.”
Seniors at the high school got an opportunity this past quarter to receive in-class training with teen mental health first aid themselves. They learned about the signs and symptoms they should be looking for in their friends that could signal a mental health issue.
The workshops have also taught the students the importance of simply asking if someone in their life is having suicidal thoughts and then how they can respond if that answer is yes.
“It’s teaching them who they can go to. It’s the 988 mass behavioral help line; the guidance and nursing in school; anyone who is their trusted adult,” said DeLeo. “It’s really helping them to pick up on signs and symptoms and then help them be a good friend and refer them and follow up with them and see if they’re getting the help that they need.”
A Healthy Lynnfield has also worked with The Nan Project for workshops that guide these seniors through the transition of leaving high school and giving them the preparation they need to take care of their own mental health in the adult world.
When these students eventually graduate and enter life after high school, whether that’s college or elsewhere, they can use these skills in dorm rooms or jobs with peers of their generation to foster a culture of mental health awareness.
More implementation of these courses could be down the road for Lynnfield High School, especially as more staff are trained in mental health first aid. A Healthy Lynnfield looks to get the town accredited as a teen implementation site, which would allow the district to offer further mental health classes.
“We’re going to be training all the nurses in the district next month, and the paraprofessionals at the high school and the school resource officer,” said DeLeo. “As we start to train more and more teams on the team model, they’re all going to be on the same page and be able to help one another in the same way.”
