Maui Youth & Family Services hosted a Youth Mental Health First Aid training on Friday, Feb. 13 at the Maui Family YMCA West Side Resource Center.
A recent public health report from the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization demonstrates that over half of children screen positive for depression, highlighting the needed for this type of community based mental health support for youth.
The Youth Mental Health First Aid training equips individuals who work with youth throughout the community with the skills to identify, understand, and respond to signs and symptoms of mental health or substance use challenges among adolescents.
Collaborative Effort to Support Youth Mental Health
“With the environment we’re in post-fires, compounded by the everyday stressors young people face, having more people in the community prepared to support youth is critical,” said Nicole Hokoana, CEO of MYFS. “Being able to provide this training in Lahaina is especially important, and we’re grateful for the support of the YMCA for providing the space.”
The training was presented by Danielle Bergen of Maui Mental Health Trainings and Consulting, and Amber Drake, Clinical and Youth Development Supervisor for YouthLine.
“I teach YMHFA because prevention and early intervention is key to reducing the amount of pain and suffering youth may experience,” said Drake. “We want to be the adult they can go to for positive support and resources,” added Bergen, “We need to communicate that it’s ok not to be ok; asking for help is a sign of strength.”
An additional class offered in March is Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)-LivingWorks, a two-day, in-person workshop featuring powerful audiovisuals, discussions, and simulations. Participants will learn how to recognize when someone may be thinking about suicide, and how to provide a skilled intervention and develop a safety plan with the person to connect them to further support. The class will be held March 26th and March 27th. To register go to https://mbhr.org/event/asist/
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