The following article has been written by Maggie Nash, LCSW, M.Ed., Director of Mental Health Education at Josselyn, a Community Mental Health Center serving Cook and Lake Counties. The Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility (IDEA) Committee of NEIC has been coordinating with Josselyn to provide Scout leaders and parents in NEIC an innovative (and free!) training program. Two IDEA members attended a recent session and found it to be valuable resource.
Being a teen is hard, and supporting teens, as a parent, teacher, scout leader, can be just as challenging. Adolescence is a stage defined by the tension between independence and the comforts of childhood. This interplay has always brought some level of stress or anxiety. And in healthy amounts, these feelings can even motivate growth. But that doesn’t mean teens should be left to navigate these challenges on their own, or that their emotions should be minimized or dismissed. Skills like resilience, coping, and managing big feelings are taught skills, just as much as math, reading, writing, or sports.
While we’re seeing a rise in teen mental health concerns due to a wide range of factors, with social media being one influence, but far from the only one, the solutions don’t have to be complicated. Most teens who feel alone aren’t lacking caring adults; they’re lacking adults who feel equipped to help. This is where support and training make all the difference.
Josselyn, a Community Mental Health Center serving Cook and Lake Counties, offers free Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training to community members, including scout leaders and parents. MHFA provides practical, accessible strategies to help you better understand, recognize, and respond to mental health challenges in your teens (covering ages 12-17) or community. It helps adults feel more confident reaching out and starting those uncomfortable, but truly important, conversations. Scouting has long focused on physical first aid training; MHFA training is a complementary aspect of care.
As one participant of Josselyn’s Youth MHFA training shared, “This training helped me feel more equipped to have hard conversations with my kids. I know they may not engage right away, but I now have tools on how to continue to check in and even start the conversation about therapy with them.”
Another participant noted, “I would highly recommend this program to everyone because throughout the workshop, one will learn techniques to identify, approach and refer individuals experiencing critical moments. This workshop excelled in providing information/resources and support to everyone which starts with saving one person at a time.”
And because teens don’t always go to adults first, Josselyn offers Teen MHFA, which empowers young people to recognize signs of struggle in themselves and their peers, and to know when it’s time to reach out to a trusted adult.
A teen participant reflected, “I learned that mental health is just as important as physical health. There are warning signs and plans to help people get better. Great training!”
These programs open the door to essential conversations about when professional support is needed and how mental health services like Josselyn can provide high-quality, affordable mental health care for youth and families.
It all starts with a conversation.
Join us in building a more compassionate, informed, and resilient community. See Josselyn’s upcoming FREE Youth and Teen MHFA trainings here. Use this link to sign up for Josselyn’s next FREE Youth training on January 30 and Teen training on February 7.
Josselyn offers additional mental health services like therapy, psychiatry, an adolescent intensive outpatient program, and more. Find more information at josselyn.org.