Rural Youth Mental Health First Aid

2018

Need: What need does the project fill? Outside of major cities in Georgia come rural areas where access to services for youths can be challenging in many ways. Additionally, these youth often face lots of misunderstandings from individuals in their surrounding communities. Rather, mental health topics are swept under the rug and stigmatized. What is more, is that situations are repeatedly left untreated. Overall goals and objectives: What are the main outcomes related to project? The Center for Leadership in Disability has collaborated with project aware and the Georgia Department of Education by working with a grant over the period of five years. This project entails members from communities in rural setting across the state of Georgia on the awareness of mental health crisis and how to first respond. Unusual features: What makes this project unique? The Rural Youth Mental Health First Aid provides a three-day training cohort in each county across Georgia that goes into depth on issues related to depression, anxiety and substance abuse. The trainings are frequently provided to various groups from family members, people who work in the community such as law enforcements. Expected benefits: How will this project help people? The objective of the Rural Youth Mental Health First Aid Project is to provide systematic change on mental health that rural communities will benefit from. Rather than shunning such serious crisis, members of each community will know how to better approach each child and adolescent who is struggling with issues such as self-cutting.

Mental Health, Crisis Prevention, Rural Areas

Performing Research or Evaluation

Quality Assurance

Community Trainees / Short term trainees, Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, General Public

Geographic Areas

Mulit-County

N/A