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Youth Mental Health First Aid Program is Introduced After Year-Long Pilot

The following is a complete press release for the National Council for Behavioral Health.

WASHINGTON D.C., Jan. 14, 2013—The National Council for Behavioral Health is offering an evidence-based training program to help citizens identify mental health problems in young people, intervene in mental health crises, and connect youth with care.

The program, Youth Mental Health First Aid, focused on youth 12 to 25 years, is being rolled out across the country after a year-long pilot. The adult Mental Health First Aid program has been delivered to more than 80,000 Americans through a network of 2,500+ instructors. The youth version provides an ideal forum to engage communities in discussing the signs and symptoms of mental illness, the prevalence of mental health disorders, the effectiveness of treatment and how to engage troubled young people in services. 

The launch of Youth Mental Health First Aid coincides with the Born Brave Bus Tour hosted by Lady Gaga and her mother Cynthia Germanotta’s Born This Way Foundation. The National Council is a partner on the bus tour which is comprised of  interactive “tailgate” events in the 27 U.S. cities of Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Ball tour, during which young people will meet to share stories of bravery and empowerment. Mental health professionals will be onsite to raise awareness of mental health and connect young people in need of support to local resources.

Following the bus tour, the National Council and the Born This Way Foundation will offer Mental Health First Aid trainings in communities across the U.S.

“Similar to CPR, lives can be saved if more Americans know the warning signs of mental health problems in adolescents and understand the importance of early intervention,” said Linda Rosenberg, president and CEO of the National Council. 

Rosenberg noted that after tragedies like Sandy Hook, people ask themselves what they could have done. No one knows what, if anything, could have changed the course of events, but public education can only be helpful. “We, of course, understand that no amount of training can guarantee horrific acts won’t occur, but being comfortable with openly talking about mental illness and engaging young adults, and their families, can increase the likelihood we may be able to help and intervene early,” said Rosenberg.

“It’s critical that people who spend a lot of time observing the behavior of adolescents intervene early, before a mental health situation becomes a crisis,” said Bryan Gibb, a Youth Mental Health First Aid trainer. “Research shows that the sooner people get help for mental health disorders, the more likely they are to have positive outcomes.”

The launch coincides with growing support in the US Congress for widespread adult and youth Mental Health First Aid training. This week, Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Jack Reed (D-RI) and Reps. Ron Barber (D-AZ) and Doris Matsui (D-CA) sent letters to Vice President Biden asking his task force on gun control legislation to consider programs like Mental Health First Aid which focus long overdue attention on the mental health needs of Americans.

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Reading Lists on Learning Disabilities

The National Center for Learning Disabilities has put together two reading lists, one for parents of children and teens with learning disabilities and a second list designed to appeal to teens with LD.

Recommended Reading for Parents of Children and Teens with LD

  • Raising Resilient Children by Robert Brooks and Sam Goldstein.
  • A Special Education: One Family’s Journey through the Maze of Learning Disabilities by Dana Buchman and Charlotte Farber.
  • The Dyslexic Advantage by Brock L. Eide and Fernette F. Eide.
  • A Special Mother: Getting through the early days of a child’s diagnosis of learning disabilities and related disorders by Anne Ford and John-Richard Thompson.
  • Parenting a Struggling Reader by Susan Hall and Louisa Moats.
  • Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood by Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey.
  • Making the System Work for Your Child with ADHD by Peter S. Jensen Jensen.
  • It’s So Much Work to Be Your Friend: Helping the Child with Learning Disabilities Find Social Success by Richard Lavoie.
  • True Stories about Real People Succeeding with LD by Jill Laure.
  • A Mind at a Time by Mel Levine.
  • Ready for Take-Off: Preparing Your Teen with ADHD or LD for College by Theresa E. Laurie Maitland and Patricia O. Quinn.
  • Learning Disabilities and ADHD: A Family Guide to Living and Learning Together by Betty Osman.
  • My Dyslexia by Philip Schultz.
  • Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science-Based Program for Reading Problems at Any Level by Sally Shaywitz.
  • Guide to Learning Disabilities for Primary Care: How to screen, identify, manage and advocate for children with learning disabilities by Larry Silver and Dana Silver.
  • School Success for Kids with ADHD by Stephan Silverman, Jacqueline Iseman, and Sue Jeweler
  • From Emotions to Advocacy: The Special Education Survival Guide by Peter Wright and Pamela Darr.

Recommended Reading for Teens with LD

  • My Thirteenth Winter: A Memoir by Samantha Abeel.
  • Caged in Chaos: A Dyspraxic Guide to Breaking Free by Victoria Biggs.
  • ADHD in HD: Brains Gone Wild by Jonathan Chesner.
  • Positively ADD: Real Success Stories to Inspire Your Dreams by Catherine A Corman, and Edward M. Hallowell
  • Applying to College for Students with ADD or LD: A Guide to Keep You (And Your Parents) Sane, Satisfied, and Organized Through the Admissions Process by Blythe Grossberg.
  • Where’s My Stuff? The Ultimate Teen Organizing Guide by Samantha Moss and Lesley Schwartz.
  • Survival Guide for College Students with ADHD or LD by Kathleen Nadeau.
  • It’s So Much Work to Be Your Friend: Helping the Child with Learning Disabilities Find Social Success by Richard Lavoie.
  • Learning Disabilities: The Ultimate Teen Guide by Penny Hutchins Paquette and Cheryl Gerson Tuttle.
  • Bluefish by Pat Schmatz.
  • Dyslexia Wonders by Jennifer Smith.
  • College Success for Students with Learning Disabilities by Cynthia Simpson and Vicky Spencer.
  • ADHD and Me: What I Learned from Lighting Fires at the Dinner Table by Blake E. S Taylor.
  • Backwards Forward: My Journey through Dyslexia by Catherine Hirschman.

For more information and helpful resources about learning disabilities, visit the National Center for Learning Disabilities at: http://www.ncld.org/

“Planning for Life After Special Education” A Transition Services Manual Now Available Online

The Planning for Life After Special Education online Transition Services Manual is written for parents and students who are advocating for better transition services, including social, vocational and independent living skills. The text is written in an easy-to-understand format but also contains endnotes and an appendix with legal information for attorneys and experienced advocates.

To access this newly updated manual, visit Planning for Life After Special Education