A Milestone Worth Celebrating: Youth Mental Health First Aid in Our Schools

Some milestones are worth the wait.

After months of planning that began in the first quarter of 2026, I had the privilege of facilitating a custom Youth Mental Health First Aid training for a group of high school staff. This training was made possible through an incredible community partnership with a local organization that received a mental health grant to bring Teen Mental Health First Aid into the school setting.

Seeing this vision finally come to life just weeks before the start of a new school year made the day especially meaningful.

I facilitated the class independently, and while I had support available if needed, I genuinely enjoy teaching in smaller group settings. It allows for thoughtful discussions, meaningful questions, and opportunities to connect with participants throughout the day.

I'll admit, I wasn't sure what to expect. Since the training was required for many attendees, I wondered how engaged the group would be. Those concerns quickly disappeared. The staff came ready to learn, asked insightful questions, shared their perspectives, and actively participated in conversations about supporting the mental health of young people.

Watching that level of engagement was encouraging and reaffirmed why this work matters. Every educator, counselor, administrator, and school staff member who completes Mental Health First Aid becomes another trusted adult equipped to recognize when a young person may be struggling and respond with confidence and compassion.

I'm incredibly grateful to our community partner for their vision, collaboration, commitment and intentionality considering the recent suicides that took place in this community to be able to expand mental health education in our schools. Here's to a new school year—and to the many students who will not only benefit from the caring adults who invested their time in this training, but from learning the skills to be Mental Health First Aiders themselves for the 2026-2027 school year.