Chenango County teens who participated in the Teen Mental Health First Aid training provided by the Madison County Rural Health Council, where they became nationally certified as Teen Mental Health First Aiders. (Submitted photo)

CHENANGO COUNTY — SUNY Morrisville’s Liberty Partnerships Program (LPP) and the Madison County Rural Health Council (MCRHC) partnered to provide teens in Chenango County with a valuable training in August. Ten local teens participated in three days of training to become nationally certified as Teen Mental Health First Aiders!

“We are so incredibly proud of this group of teens,” commented LPP Project Director Kisten Giglio. "They are the first LPP group to be certified statewide and the first in Chenango County. They made a powerful choice to become part of the solution to an ongoing concern in our country."

Teen Mental Health First Aid, or tMHFA, is an evidence-based training program for students in grades 10 through 12 that teaches the skills to recognize and aid their peers experiencing mental health and substance abuse challenges and crises, including how to quickly get the help of an adult.

The tMHFA program is designed to help teens help each other navigate the difficult waters of adolescence. Madison County Rural Health Council believes the teen Mental Health First Aid training is an invaluable resource for teens, especially during these difficult times.

The program is offered by Madison County Rural Health Council’s trainers certified by the National Council for Mental Well Being. MCRHC is offering this training in the schools, youth organizations, and community settings after school hours. Contact us to arrange a meeting to discuss bringing the training to your school or community.

Not only did the teens make a commitment, but all of the LPP advocates and staff attended a Youth Mental Health First Aid training (YMHFA) earlier in the summer. The Advocates who attended the training left with the tools to identify, understand and respond to someone who might be struggling with a mental health or substance use challenge — and connect them with appropriate support and resources when necessary.

YMHFA is a skills-based training that teaches parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, health and human services workers, and any other adult who have youth in their lives.

In our tMHFA training the teens learned how to connect with a trusted adult to ask for help, how to respond to peers, and what to look for to help notice when someone might need a friend to talk to.

We are grateful for their commitment to themselves, their friends, and their community. They were engaged and insightful throughout their training. We also want to thank their families for supporting them in making the decision to attend this training. We are each stronger when we work together!

For more information about how you can host a MHFA training please contact Jamie Hagenbuch at jamie@mcruralhealthcouncil.org.

-Information provided by Madison County Rural Health Council