McDowell Institute: What is Mental Health First Aid for Youth?

BU’s McDowell Institute is becoming increasingly involved with Mental Health First Aid – Youth, both on campus and statewide through its membership with the Community of Practice on School-based Behavioral Health (CoP SBBH).

Mental Health First Aid – Youth (MHFA-Y) is help offered to a person (in this case a youth) developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. MHFA-Y is provided until appropriate treatment and support are received or until the crisis is resolved. MHFA-Y is not a substitute for counseling, medical care, peer support or treatment.

 In Pennsylvania, a process has been established for training to become certified in MHFA-Y, similar to credentialing in first aid through the American Red Cross. This training to receive a certificate as a mental health first aider is eight hours in length.
There is also an established process for someone to become a credentialed instructor in MHFA-Y, requiring one full week of intensive training. The process has numerous, required fidelity/treatment integrity metrics relevant to training after one is credentialed as an instructor in MHFA-Y. Schools across the Commonwealth are increasingly exploring training and credentialing of teachers and other school staff to meet the Act 71requirements associated with suicide prevention.

MHFA-Y is an offshoot of Mental Health First Aid for Adults. It is considered an evidence-based program by numerous federal-level entities, including the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The Community of Practice on School-based Behavioral Health (CoP SBBH) is a statewide community of cross-sector stakeholders and leaders who share a commitment to the advancement of early childhood, school age and adult behavioral health and wellness. The CoP SBBH supports children, youth, families, schools and community partners through development of comprehensive early childhood and school-based behavioral health support systems.

 This is carried out to overcome non-academic barriers to learning so all children and youth can successfully transition into adulthood. Current focus of the CoP SBBH is on:

1. Promoting implementation and sustainability of evidenced-based multi-tiered systems of supports (PBIS);
   
2. Promoting integration of evidence-based programming into decision-making frameworks (e.g. situating mental health EBPs within the PBIS framework); and
    
3. Fostering and leveraging articulated and robust school-community partnerships. 

The CoP SBBH believes it will have been successful when children, youth, families, educational entities and community agencies have access to services, supports, training, technical assistance, and collaborative opportunities that ensure academic and emotional/social success for all. The CoP SBBH operates the Affiliated Network of PBIS Facilitators (Trainers) in Pennsylvania and is in the process of organizing a parallel Affiliated Network of MHFA-Y Trainers in Pennsylvania.

 To learn more about MHFA-Y, along with other kindred evidence-based approaches to address non-academic barriers to learning, contact McDowell Institute at ckemper@bloomu.edu .

 By Tim Knoster, co-director, McDowell Institute

McDowell Institute concludes successful 2014-2015

BU’s McDowell Institute for Teacher Excellence in Positive Behavior Support continued to provide professional development experiences emphasizing student support models during the 2014-2015 academic year. The institute focused on increasing awareness of bullying, child sexual abuse prevention and mental health issues.

A highlight of the spring semester was the McDowell Institute’s professional development experience for more than 150 student teachers. The program emphasized preventive classroom management, including the core foundations of building rapport, providing clear and explicit behavioral expectations and providing high-density, behavior-specific positive reinforcement for students as they acquire and demonstrate appropriate behavioral skills and meet performance expectations.

This fall, the McDowell Institute plans to increase mental health awareness by collaborating with student organizations to host events and activities in conjunction with the World Federation for Mental Health and their partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illnesses. In addition, the McDowell Institute will convene a symposium for the BU community with an emphasis on students enrolled in the College of Education’s teacher preparatory programs. The symposium will highlight practical actions classroom teachers can take to create trauma-informed learning environments, as well as collaborative statewide initiatives to support trauma-informed educational approaches sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Office of Children’s Mental Health within the Department of Human Services.

The McDowell Institute’s Charlotte Kemper can provide more information on these events. If you are interested in attending, please contact Charlotte at 570-389-5124. You can learn more about the McDowell Institute and read our newsletter at www.bloomu.edu/mcdowell.

 — Angela Pang, Interim Director, McDowell Institute

McDowell Institute Nets State Grant

Bloomsburg University’s McDowell Institute for Teacher Excellence in Positive Behavior Support has received a Pennsylvania Safe Schools/Healthy Students Partnership (PA SS/HS) award of approximately $863,000 from the Pennsylvania Office of Mental Health. The PA SS/HS Partnership is, in turn, funded by a multi-million dollar federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The goal of the PA SS/HS Partnership is to create safe and supportive schools and communities in three Local Education Agencies – Northeastern School District in York County, Carbon-Lehigh Intermediate Unit in Lehigh County, and Penncrest School District in Crawford County.

The project also involves cooperation with state-level departments of education, public welfare, and juvenile justice in concert with their local counterparts. The project aims to decrease bullying, youth violence, and criminal behavior as well as promote healthy development, social and emotional learning, and academic achievement of children and youth.

Dr. Timothy Knoster, professor of special education, will serve as the lead evaluator and chief designer and provider of technical assistance for the project. He will be responsible for developing, organizing, and providing technical assistance to state and local level parties involved in the project’s implementation.

Congratulations to the McDowell Institute and Dr. Knoster!