Like CPR for mental health: Big Brothers Big Sisters awarded funding for mental health first aid kit

GREEN BAY - It wasn't long after the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory on the poor state of youth mental health that Monica McClure started seeing more concerned parents turning to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Wisconsin.

The prevalence of mental health struggles in young people today is much more acute than even a decade ago: 40% more young people described a persistent sadness and hopelessness in recent years when compared to 2009. Young people's self-worth seems to hang in the balance of their social media presence, according to an advisory from May. And issues like climate change, income inequality, racial injustice, the opioid epidemic and gun violence remain ever-present concerns, according to the report.

In response, McClure, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Wisconsin, proposed to use grant dollars for a youth mental health first aid support, which would be used as a first response to children in crisis. She compared it to CPR, emphasizing that mental health "is just as important as physical well-being."

Brown County heard the call loud and clear when it awarded Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Wisconsin nearly $40,000 to fund youth mental health first aid support and training to its staff and "Bigs," the term for the adult volunteer mentors matched with "Littles." It was one of 19 projects awarded part of $1 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach and Brown County Health and Human Services Executive Director Jeremy Kral presented the check Tuesday.

"We're very excited to see Big Brothers Big Sisters enhance services for early identification of youth with behavioral health needs," said Kral, who evaluated the grant application. "It'll teach the adults in the ecosystem how to identify and respond to young people with emerging or undiscovered health needs."

Youth mental health first aid can have a ripple effect across northeastern Wisconsin

McClure said youth mental health needs have only intensified since the start of the pandemic, with children struggling with social anxieties, depression and suicidal tendencies. But for someone unfamiliar with the phases of mental health challenges, it can be hard to distinguish between typical growing pains and, say, generalized anxiety disorders.

Mental health first aid training can help adults better pay attention to behavioral health concerns in youth such as a teenager disengaging from hobbies they once enjoyed. And like CPR, applying mental health first aid is just the first step to getting someone the help they need.

The funding will allow a staff member at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Wisconsin to become a mental health first aid trainer through the National Council of Mental Wellbeing's Youth Mental Health First Aid course, who will then train staff. Throughout the year, the organization will hold intensive and engaging training sessions for the adult mentors, McClure said.

"We really want to ripple out this training so that everyday people can work with kids and provide that mild intervention, before something extreme happens in a child's life," McClure said.

Emily Jacobson, Brown County Board member and chair of Brown County Human Services Committee, told the Green Bay Press-Gazette that youth mental health first aid is a big priority for the county. Brown County, like many other places across the country, is locked in a vicious cycle of service provider shortages, with young people bearing the brunt of that dearth.

According to the 2018 Brown County Annual Report, children accounted for 88% of clients placed in emergency psychiatric beds in Brown County, a number that underscores the need for early intervention.

"If we can make sure that we're supporting the youth, to the best of our ability, that's going to help us in the long run with making sure they're thriving, that they're being assets to our community versus getting in trouble," Jacobson said. "We want to avoid them doing something that could have irreparable harm."

Jenga, Uno and art therapy can be creative windows into therapy and emotional regulation

In one creative response to the youth counselor shortage, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Wisconsin recently partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Green Bay to provide site-based mentoring at the west-side clubhouse every other week.

Some of the grant funding will allow the two organizations to engage in therapy games, which focus on building rapport with their "Bigs" and establishing trust. It's a way, McClure said, for children to open up to adults in a setting that doesn't feel like therapy.

Therapy games can take traditional games like Uno or Jenga and turn them into emotional regulation exercises, said Corrin Applekamp, youth mental health therapist at Boys and Girls Club. It's a tactic she's used at the Club over the last seven years, whether it's a simple game of dice where you answer one of six questions or a more tailored game like Cards Against Anxiety, a riff on its cruder cousin.

"The beautiful thing about play is that, since children need it and they're so programmed to feel well when they're doing it, they are less guarded and more apt to share their feelings," Applekamp said. "They don't feel that pressure, it's on their own time and their own method of communication."

Talking about big emotions is one of the key goals of youth mental health first aid, McClure said, especially because 50% of all mental illnesses emerge by age 14 and 75% by the mid-20s.

"I would encourage any parent to not be afraid to look at the resources in your community. And if you have a concern, talk to your kid about it," McClure said. "And it's really important as guardians or parents that we keep talking to our kids about that."

Natalie Eilbert covers mental health issues for USA TODAY NETWORK-Central Wisconsin. She welcomes story tips and feedback. You can reach her at neilbert@gannett.com or view her Twitter profile at @natalie_eilbert. If you or someone you know is dealing with suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text "Hopeline" to the National Crisis Text Line at 741-741.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Big Brothers Big Sisters gets funding for mental health first aid kit