Early College students selected for mental health pilot project

Lorain County Community College is one of 35 schools selected by the National Council for Behavioral Health with support from Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation to participate in the Mental Health First Aid pilot program, according to a news release.

Lorain County Early College High School at LCCC is participating in the country’s expanded teen Mental Health First Aid pilot program this school year.

The school will train more than 65 students during this academic year.

The training is the first of its kind developed for high school students in the U.S., according to the release.

“We are thrilled to introduce teen Mental Health First Aid to our community,” said Patricia M. McCaslin, adjunct instructor in LCCC’s Health and Wellness Sciences division. “The program will teach high school students to recognize and respond when their friends are experiencing the early stages of a mental health or substance use problem.”

“This is going to be an important program for our students and staff to participate in,” said Shane Newark, principal of Early College High School. “With all of the stress in today’s society, we want our students to be able to recognize when they should seek out someone to talk with and to know that it’s OK to ask for help.”

The program is designed for sophomores through seniors, and the 65 students to go through the training first are members of the Early College High School sophomore class.

The Mental Health First Aid is an in-person training designed for high school students to learn about mental illnesses and addictions, particularly how to identify and respond to a developing mental health or substance use problem among their peers.

Similar to CPR, students learn a five-step action plan to help their friends who may be facing a mental health problem or crisis, such as suicide.

The course specifically highlights the important step of involving a responsible and trusted adult. To ensure additional support for students taking the training, ECHS will also train 10 percent of staff in Mental Health First Aid for Adults Working with Young People. This includes one ECHS staff and three Health and Wellness Sciences faculty members who teach Health and Wellness, CPR and physical education courses to ECHS students.

“Early College at LCCC and Amherst Steele are doing a great service to Lorain County and the nation by piloting this project,” said Elizabeth Wolanski, child and adolescent services director of the Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services Board of Lorain County. “Our agency brings research-based suicide prevention education to the schools and other critical groups. As long-time providers of other Mental Health First Aid curriculums, plus school-based suicide prevention services, we are very happy to see Teen Mental Health First Aid as a new option for our young scholars.”

Similar to CPR, students learn a five-step action plan to help their friends who may be facing a mental health problem or crisis, such as suicide.