Leading in Ohio on Behalf of Scholars

In an effort to effectively address the mental health issues of teenage students in Akron Public Schools, the district launched a program designed to both empower and encourage students to help one another.

A year ago, under the guidance of Yvonne Culver, the district strategically tweaked some health classes at its seven high schools to include Teen Mental Health First Aid. According to Culver, health classes were the logical subject to introduce a program that is likely to become a fixture in schools nationwide.

Teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) is an evidence-based training sponsored by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. Its purpose is to help teens in grades 10 through 12 – or ages 15 to 18 – identify the signs and symptoms of a mental health or substance use challenge in a friend.

Additionally, it teaches young people how to open a supportive conversation about mental health and substance use with friends. Most importantly, the training is designed to teach students how to seek the help of a responsible and trusted adult.

For now, APS is the only school district in Ohio that offers Teen Mental Health First Aid. The three-week class enables the district to reach several goals – including having 10 percent of faculty trained to deal with teen mental health challenges. The students, with the primary focus on sophomores, can earn certification for three years, a tool that qualifies them to serve as peer mental health consultants.

“I feel as if we are making progress,” said Culver, who serves as Director of School Counseling and Student Wellness. “We want to deepen the number of teachers to teach the class, but we also want to empower the students.”

Culver’s varied experiences – including that of teacher, counselor, social worker and health therapist – have provided insight into what direction to take an innovative idea that could possibly minimize, or at least recognize, the problems facing teenagers.

“All of our health teachers had to be pulled out of class for three days in order to be certified as instructors,” Culver said. “Also, because the delivery requirements specify that two adults have to be in the room when the content is delivered, we had to make sure someone else – the school counselor, central office personnel – was available when the teachers delivered the lessons.

According to a published report by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, the United States “continues to grapple with a youth mental health crisis.” Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for youth 15 to 19, and one in four students from ages 12 to 17 have had a substance use disorder or a major depressive episode in the past year.

Admittedly, this new approach faced resistance among some students. “I thought the cutest thing was having a student say how corny this was in the beginning to now feeling as if it has been worth it,” Culver said.

“One of things that kept coming up among students was them supporting each other,” Culver added. “They understand that most adults are busy, so they’re learning to help with conflict resolution. They are committing to helping each other deal with stress.”

Culver presented the program during the school board meeting on September 9. All of the district’s high schools, except Akron Early College, will have the teen mental health class as part of the curriculum this school year.

“This is also an awareness program,” said Culver, who earned a Masters degree in counseling and human development at Walsh University. 

Nationally, student mental health remains the top priority for school board members. More than 80 percent report being either “extremely concerned” or “very concerned.” It is a number considerably higher than the 51 percent expressing “extreme” concern for school funding. 

“At a time when so many of our children are facing a mental health or substance use crisis, school board members recognize the need to respond,” said Tramaine EL-Amin, MHFA client experience officer. “They also know that schools, families and teens themselves have an important role to play to address this crisis; and they are eager to find tools that can make a difference. Since 2019, teen MHFA has proven to be a valuable resource to more than 700 schools in 36 states.”

When it comes to recognizing the signs of a student experiencing a mental health challenge, including suicidal thoughts or behaviors, 80 percent of school board members rank parents, close family members and friends as most likely to see the signs.

Recognizing the signs is an important first step, but individuals also need the skills to help someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use challenge.

This, of course, is why Culver believes APS high school students are positioning themselves to empower and help each other navigate the sometimes-choppy waters that threaten to overwhelm them mentally.

“I think it empowers students to advocate for themselves and others when they recognize needs and challenges,” Culver said. “This directly ties into our motto of “Enriching Minds and Empowering Futures.”