TROY, N.Y. — A recent press conference by the Mental Health Association in New York State (MHANYS) and Project AWARE announced the success of a teen mental health first aid training program at two local high schools and state funding to grow the program.
The announcement was attended by representatives of Lansingburgh and Rensselaer high schools, where the training program has been implemented, as well as Dr. Anne Sullivan, Commissioner of the New York State Office of Mental Health. Jan Zadoorian, program director for Project AWARE in the Rensselaer City School District, described the program’s purpose and function and why it is critical to have similar programs in high schools across the state.
Project AWARE’s name is an acronym that stands for Advancing Wellness And Resilience in Education. It is a national organization that provides grants to schools “to develop a sustainable infrastructure for school-based mental health programs and services.” At the federal level, Project AWARE is a division of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). At the state levels, there are branches that work with local school districts. In New York, Project AWARE and MHANYS work in partnership.
“We’re looking to implement proactive rather than reactive strategies in schools and reduce the stigma associated with mental health,” Zadoorian said.
Glenn Liebman, MHANYS CEO, described teen mental health first aid training as a partnership with youth, “working with them instead of doing something to them.” He applauded Governor Kathy Hochul’s state budget, signed on the day of the press conference, for including significant funding to support teen and youth mental health first aid. The funding is a direct result of a listening tour Hochul went on with Sullivan, where students said they wanted two things: access to mental health services at school, and to know how to talk to their peers about mental health.
MHANYS and Project AWARE introduced a training program to Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School last year, funded by a five-year SAMHSA grant. Ninth and tenth grade students were offered mental health first aid training that included how to recognize signs and symptoms of mental health challenges and how to talk to each other. School staff received training as well. Lansingburgh High School was added as a partner school during the second cycle of grant funding, with all staff at Lansingburgh receiving training this year. Student training will begin soon.
“We’re very thankful for this program,” said Lansingburgh Superintendent of Schools Dr. Antonio Abitabile.
“It’s a program that comes at no cost to the district,” Zadoorian said. “School districts need sustainable opportunities for these programs to stick.”
Paige Lawson, a sophomore at Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School, said she benefited immensely from the program.
“Without programs like this, students will continue to struggle, and teenagers are being set up for failure,” she stated. “I think this program needs to be implemented in every single school district across the state.”
Thanks to the funding in the state budget, that’s the plan.
“I do think it’s going to be a game changer,” Sullivan said. “When I was in school, we didn’t talk about this. I think it’s going to be a different world going forward. This is exciting — we have $17 million distributed over four years to spread this to all the high schools in the state. After that, it will be an ongoing program. Rensselaer and Lansingburgh have done amazing work so far.”
Rensselaer students like Lawson, who were part of the training program, said they learned a lot and were glad to participate.
“I learned about talking to people, really understanding my peers, and seeing the signs and signals,” said Christian Dupree. “It’s hard for me to talk sometimes because I don’t want to feel weak.”
“I definitely learned that it’s okay to ask for help and it’s okay to not be okay,” stated Aven Nadeau. “It’s a very welcoming class to be in. It’s an awesome thing to be part of.”
“I’ve always been kind of emotionally intelligent and big on mental health, so this was a good reinforcement,” Lawson added. “It’s really good for people who don’t know too. Mental health is like the trunk of the tree – it’s the solid foundation of everything.”
“I’ve learned how to notice warning signs and how to help strangers,” said Kylee Munguia. “It made me more open-minded. Everybody is different, and everybody expresses their emotions differently. I would recommend this class to everyone — it really, really helps.”
To learn more about Project AWARE, visit https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/children-and-families/school-health/project-aware. To learn more about MHANYS, visit https://mhanys.org/.
Glenn Liebman, CEO of MHANYS, speaks about the importance of mental health awareness for teens as mascot ALGEE the Koala watches. (Melissa Schuman – MediaNews Group)
Local high school students were featured in a video to promote teen mental health first aid training. (Melissa Schuman – MediaNews Group)
ALGEE the Koala, the Lansingburgh Knight, and the Rensselaer Ram represent the three organizations working together for teen mental health first aid. (Melissa Schuman – MediaNews Group)
Paige Lawson, a student at Rensselaer High School, talks about the benefits of mental health first aid. (Melissa Schuman – MediaNews Group)
Joseph Otter, representing the Lansingburgh Central School District, talks about the importance of teen mental health services. (Melissa Schuman – MediaNews Group)
Dr. Anne Sullivan, State Commissioner of Mental Health, talks at a press conference for teen mental health first aid training. (Melissa Schuman – MediaNews Group)
Jan Zadoorian, program director of Project AWARE, speaks about the importance of teen mental health first aid training. (Melissa Schuman – MediaNews Group)