Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches adults how to respond to youth in crisis

BELLINGHAM, Wash. — When young criminal offenders wind up in the Whatcom County juvenile justice system, they might meet Chad Avery. Avery is a behavioral health specialist working with kids going through the courts.

He said most are minor offenders. He also said most have a diagnosable mental health disorder, and many also struggle with a substance use disorder.

“My goal is to help them be and become their best self,” Avery said. “It’s huge that we can have them, be able to assess them from the moment we get them, work with them until their release, and do follow-up care and treatment with them when they’re out.”

Avery honed his skills in a recent Youth Mental Health First Aid course, offered by Everett-based Compass Health. While a regular first aid class might teach everything from how to handle a minor cut to a heart attack, Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) teaches adults how to recognize warning signs in young people experiencing a range of mental health issues.

“We are responding to those lower level signs and symptoms that might just need an adult who’s present and listening and caring, or we might have a situation that’s a crisis where they need to sit with the person for now while professional help is called and accessed,” said Megan Axley, Director of Children’s Intensive Services at Compass Health.

Axley teaches the one day course, and said it usually draws school staff and others who work with young people. But she encourages all adults to take it.

“We’re not teaching people how to be mental health providers or therapists, but we’re teaching them how to help a young person,” Axley said. “We’re teaching them how to notice signs and symptoms that something is different about this kid today to be able to recognize early warning signs so we can intervene before it becomes a huge problem.”

As the youth mental health crisis grows, so does interest in the class, which is also offered by other providers around the state.

“This course really does give you not only the skills to recognize those warning signs, but also the opportunity to practice,” said Tramaine EL-Amin, Vice President of Mental Health First Aid. “How do I say something and make it not an awkward situation? And so it’s important that we all feel comfortable having this conversation because mental health is health.”

Avery said he uses skills learned in class to help him stay focused on each child he meets.

“It’s not just another meeting. It’s not just another encounter. It’s, be present. Be mindful. Don’t judge. Listen and observe for the right things, and then know where to send them when they need to help that they need,” Avery said.

He hopes that will not only lead to better mental health but also to a path out of the juvenile justice system. Mental Health First Aid was created in 2001, and EL-Amin said the classes directed at helping youth have been available since 2012.

“Washington state was an early adopter of mental health first aid in the country,” EL-Amin said. “And to date, there are more than 30,000 adults who have taken the course to support young people in the state, which we’re really excited about. More than 50,000 have taken the adult course. But our goal is to have one in 15 people trained across the country. That’s 22 million people trained. And so we’re well on our way. And Washington state is part of making that happen.”

You can watch the news segment on the KOMO News website here.