Lay people trained as ‘mental health warriors’ in daylong workshop
Imagine the positive impact a team of “mental health warriors” — regular people trained to help young people dealing with psychological crises — could have if deployed into the local community.
It was a vision offered by state Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) on Friday in the Glendale Civic Auditorium as more than 100 people attended a one-day, eight-hour youth mental-health, first-aid workshop designed to do just that.
The local workshop, and another held on Feb. 2 in Altadena, were co-hosted by Portantino, First District PTA and Turtlesea Group.
Between both workshops, a 300-member-strong army of teachers, administrators and parents is now “armed” with practical techniques — and a certificate — to identify, assess and help adolescents struggling with mental-health problems, ranging from substance abuse to suicidal thoughts, Portantino said.
It’s similar to a regular citizen administering CPR, said Sandy Russell, president of First District PTA. The training program was developed in 2001 by Betty Kitchner and Anthony Jorm from Australia.
In CPR, “no one’s asking you to rip open someone’s chest and perform heart surgery. You’re not the professional,” Russell said. “We’re asking you to assess, calm and get the person the right help.”
Part of the training, which Russell called “a little overwhelming,” is increasing awareness of the youth’s perspective.
In one exercise she recalled, attendees took turns assuming the roles of a teacher and a student, with the former expressing concern for the latter.
Another attendee was instructed to whisper negative sentiments, including questions about the teacher’s sincerity, into the student’s ear.
Often the attendee assuming the role of the teacher found the student to be disengaged from the conversation, unaware at first of what was being whispered into their ear.
In reality, the attendee playing the student is dealing with more complex emotions than they realize — just like real youths, Russell said.
In May, Russell was invited to attend the workshop in San Diego by local school administrators there. Upon completion, she knew she wanted to bring it to schools in her district, which stretches from Burbank to Pomona.
Russell’s ensuing outreach efforts brought her to Portantino’s office. The senator, whose district includes parts of the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys, shared her passion for the spirit of the workshop, and in September the pair began working on bringing it to the communities they both represent.
“The more people that have this training, the more we can help our kids,” said Russell, whose son is a senior at Crescenta Valley High School. “The adage, ‘it takes a village’ — this is what we’re talking about.”
According to Portantino, who has a 17-year-old-daughter, the goal is to destigmatize mental-health issues by discussing them more openly.
“The biggest issue is that we keep it in the dark, so kids are alone with their trauma,” Portantino said. “If we could bring mental health out of the shadows, we can get [young people] more treatment.”
Portantino plans soon to introduce a bill that would require California teachers to take the workshop as a prerequisite for earning their credential. Eventually, he would like to see the workshop become a national norm for teachers and school administrators.
Twitter: @lila_seidman