DULUTH, Minn. (Northern News Now) – Getting kids and teens the mental health support they need can be a challenge—especially with limited providers.
A new pilot program is coming to the Twin Ports—it’s called EASE and it’s developed by the World Health Organization, to help kids build skills to manage stress and strong emotions.
As mental health needs have surged since the pandemic—outpacing the number of licensed providers—local leaders say this program is stepping in to help.
Senior mental health advisor for ArcaMind Rick Gertsema said, “we also know that we will never hire our way out of the dilemma that we currently in with mental health, so what we want to do is to create another workforce in which we train late professionals who are actually able to do the work of helping people.”
That’s where EASE comes in—short for Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions—evidence-based skills sessions for kids 10 to 14 and their caregivers, taught by trained non-specialists to support people under stress.
“What we both see as an entirely new workforce that will be able to help adults and kids in a whole different way that has been proven in 20 other countries across the globe,” said Gertsema.
Monday, Miller-Dwan introduced EASE to local schools and youth groups, and local organizations say they’re ready to launch.
CEO for Boys and Girls Clubs of the Northland Lynn Reins said, “providing our kids with tools to help them regulate their emotions and something that we want to make sure that they all have.”
Boys & Girls Club staff training starts Tuesday, and organizers say Duluth is among the first U.S. communities to launch this WHO program.
“The first pilot was done in New York City, so you would think they would go to Chicago or to LA, but to say, this is real America, and this is where so many of our families live, in communities the size of Duluth—we hope it will help those kids be able to regulate themselves because it’s going to help them be successful throughout their lives,” said Reins.
Organizers say the Twin Ports pilot could start in the coming months, with trained facilitators leading sessions in schools and community settings.
Other local facilities that will be part of this initial pilot program are Neighborhood Youth Services, Harbor City international school, and the Superior school district.
More information about the program can be found on the ArcaMind website.
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