Helping Youth Learn to Manage Mental Health

Published: 2022
By Jesse Fulbright

Liberty County MSU Extension has been one of the few Extension programs in Montana to have an uninterrupted partnership with their school district through the past years’ health upheavals. The local MSU Extension office has a valued partnership with CJI High School and Logan Health-Chester’s Director of Outpatient Service Christine Muller to help youth understand how to maintain positive mental health and help those around them do the same. Through a 5-hour curriculum, Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM), facilitators met with the CJI freshman class to showcase an interactive program for youth, promote increased discussion and knowledge about mental health, and aid in developing problem-solving skills and emotional intelligence. In 2022, 21 youth gained an awareness of mental health and suicidal thoughts and developed problem-solving skills in relation to those issues. Students began to recognize the need to think through different stress and crisis situations and understand the importance of mental health. Students have also begun to have conversations with their peers about mental health. Students stated the following observations from the class: "It’s a little harder to ask for help depending on the situation; I learned you need to ask for help; I learned it can be hard or easy to notice; I know how to 'ask people if they are okay' and that you have to reach out; Anyone can suffer from depression and stress.” As students continue to practice good mental health skills learned during their time in YAM, and practice noticing and asking questions if they need help, the youth will become better prepared to deal with their mental health challenges and overcome those instances.