The University of North Carolina System announced plans to train around 400 future K-12 educators in Youth Mental Health First Aid.
The system launched a training initiative in 2021, focused on recognizing and responding to mental health concerns in adults.
Now, Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs Suzie Baker says the system wants to address these issues earlier. Youth-specific mental health training will be part of the curriculum for teacher and principal preparation programs.
“If we're able to get those folks who are often the first port of call for a student who's struggling, to have the knowledge to spot that and the confidence and skills to approach a student, and start to intervene, then we're going to have a healthier population as they grow older and start to come to us for college," Baker says.
The training focuses on the most common issues for 12 to 18 year olds, like anxiety, depression, eating disorders and ADHD, as well as the impacts of social media and cyberbullying.
