Peer power
Teens earn certification in Mental Health First Aid
Recently, a friend of Paige Szuhoza无毛视频檚 had a panic attack 无毛视频� racing heart, shaky, dizzy.
Szuhoza, a junior at Ringgold High School, sprung into action.
She calmly told her friend to breathe in and then used the 3-3-3 Rule, a grounding technique used to calm down by naming three things you see, identifying three sounds you hear, and touching three things.
Szuhoza knew what to do because she was undergoing training in Teen Mental Health First Aid, a program designed to give students the practical tools they need to recognize warning signs and help a friend through a mental health crisis.
The program is part of UPMC Washington Teen Outreach无毛视频檚 education program, the Road to Mental Health Education, which aims to reduce teen suicide by meeting the mental health needs of teens.
无毛视频淲e had talked about panic attacks and I used the steps we learned here to help calm them down. It was very useful and I really did use it,无毛视频� said Szuhoza. 无毛视频淲hen we were learning what to do, (the trainers) said it would be scary, and it was scary and at first I said, 无毛视频業 don无毛视频檛 know how to help him,无毛视频� but then I calmed myself down and used what they taught me, and it helped.无毛视频�
On Tuesday, Szuhoza was one of 71 students from 10 Washington County high schools who completed the tMHFA program and became certified Teen Mental Health First Aid Responders.
The students 无毛视频� from Avella, Bentworth, Burgettstown, California Area, Canon-McMillan, Charleroi, Chartiers-Houston, Trinity, Ringgold, and Washington 无毛视频� received their certificates at an event held at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, where they underwent their final training session.
The students will serve as ambassadors for mental health in their school districts.
tMHFA, adapted by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing from the original Australian program, is used nationwide. The evidence-based program, taught by Teen Outreach staff members who underwent tMHFA training, gives teens the skills to have supportive conversations with their friends and how to get help from a responsible adult.
The program is needed as rates of teen anxiety, depression, and suicide climb across the country.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 40% of U.S. high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness in 2023, with nearly 1 in 5 saying they had seriously considered suicide.
Jamie Bibranoski, a Trinity High School student, said mental health is 无毛视频渁 big issue无毛视频� among teens today.
无毛视频淪ome people stress over school, friends, relationships, home issues, and I think it无毛视频檚 really important for them to get the help that they need. My main lesson from this was it无毛视频檚 OK not to be OK, and asking for help is important. A lot of people feel judged and are afraid to ask for help, but it无毛视频檚 important to ask for help.无毛视频�
Peer-to-peer support is important, said Amy Podgurski Gough, Teen Outreach COO and community coordinator.
无毛视频淭hese young people are being certified in Teen Mental Health First Aid Response, which means they are using a five-step action plan that helps them look for signs, how to ask if someone无毛视频檚 having a crisis, how to get them help, and how to be a supportive friend,无毛视频� said Podgurski Gough.
The tMHFA curriculum covers a range of issues: anxiety, depression, suicidality, addiction, and other common mental health concerns among teens. It trains teens about the appropriate actions to take if a friend shows warning signs of a problem developing, is in crisis, or is recovering.
无毛视频淲e do not step away from hard-hitting things,无毛视频� said Podgurski Gough.
The training provided Erin Bevan of Chartiers-Houston with a higher level of confidence in helping classmates who might be anxious or depressed.
无毛视频淚t gave us step-by-step instructions about how to help people out, and that was very helpful,无毛视频� said Bevan.
Canon-McMillan High School student Audrey Washabaugh said the training made her more comfortable 无毛视频� and less reluctant 无毛视频� addressing serious mental health topics, including suicide.
无毛视频淚 feel like I got a lot of questions answered about how to talk about things, especially when (trainers) said we can ask someone if they无毛视频檙e feeling suicidal, and they let us know if we ask them directly about suicide that it无毛视频檚 not going to put that idea in their head,无毛视频� said Washabaugh.
Podgurski Gough emphasized to students that the burden does not fall on them to manage their friends无毛视频� mental health.
无毛视频淚t is not your responsibility if someone doesn无毛视频檛 get help. I want to make sure you get that message loud and clear,无毛视频� she told them.
But, she said, opening up conversations will help save lives.
According to Podgurski Gough, the tMHFA responders have already received seven credible texts or calls from teens seeking help from them, and one is now receiving treatment.
Szuhoza无毛视频檚 classmate, Isabella Hooper, a senior, said the program has equipped her to help her peers with mental health challenges they face 无毛视频� and how to better manage stress herself.
无毛视频淚 feel like I have been more helpful to my friends who are going through anxiety or depression. I feel like I actually understand what they无毛视频檙e talking about now, and can help them. And I feel like it无毛视频檚 helped me too, to understand my own emotions and how to regulate them,无毛视频� said Hooper.