UF researchers seek east Gainesville residents to become mental health coaches

University of Florida researchers are looking to train adults and youths to become mental health coaches to combat depression and stress that east Gainesville residents may face.

UF and the Florida Blue Foundation, in collaboration with churches in east Gainesville, are partnering for the third year to host a mental health and well-being initiative known as the “Tele-Mental Health and Wellbeing Support Coaching Program for Black Adults and Youth.”

Carolyn M. Tucker, UF’s Florida Blue endowed chair in health disparities research, said the program is looking for residents to be trained as mental health and well-being coaches.

The program is a three-session virtual intervention program that has positively affected the mental health of 200 Black adults and 100 youths in mostly east Gainesville, Tucker said.

“The goal is to reduce mental health disparities and provide accessible mental health counseling in low-income Black communities, including our target east Gainesville community and nearby other communities,” Tucker said.

The program is open to Black residents age 12 and older. Up to 20 adults and up to 20 teenagers at least 16 years old will be selected to be trained as mental health support coaches.

The coaches will each receive $305 for providing pre- and post-program data, training participation and implementing the three support groups, Tucker said.

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The participants in the support groups will each receive $100, Tucker said.

Those interested in becoming a mental health coach must live in or near the east Gainesville community, have excellent communication skills, enjoy teaching others, be dependable and compassionate.

All coaches will participate in a virtual, six-hour, interactive training session that will involve learning how to conduct mental health support groups using the guide for conducting these groups.

The team is currently enrolling participants in the support groups and those interested can call 352-294-0652 for more information.

The support groups focus on teaching information and skills for managing stress, depression, grief, anger and conflict, Tucker said.

The deadline to join this year’s cohort is in May and all training sessions will be on Zoom, Tucker said.

Managing stress, depression and grief have been negatively impacted by various experiences, including COVID-19, killings of Black people and experiencing racism and discrimination, Tucker said.

“There are no supportive programs to address these issues — in east Gainesville there’s not many resources,” Tucker said. “The suicide rate among Black youth between the ages of 5 to 12 have doubled in the last 15 years. I also want to address that there are few Black psychologists or mental health counselors, and Black people prefer going to mental health counselors if they are Black. If some are willing to go to white counselors, they can’t afford it.”

The program has shown that at least 40% of the adult support group participants and at least 35% of the youth support group participants can have decreased levels of stress and depression and improved well-being and psychological quality of life from pre-group participation to post-group participation, Tucker said.

“This has really made an impact on my life,” Tucker said.

A 16-year-old male program participant told Tucker in a previous training as to why the mental health program was important.

He shared how he faced no counseling, no jobs and no economic empowerment, Tucker said.

“It makes me so understanding of what Black males are going through,” Tucker said. “They need mental health support and the healing process, which is why he decided to become a coach. Being able to work with their peers is a success within itself.”

Tucker also talked about the experience of a 16-year-old female participant who suffered depression, mental abuse and her parents’ divorce.

“As a result of going to therapy, she was doing so much better,” Tucker said. “She told me, ‘Dr. Tucker, I know now that broken wings can fly.’ ”

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: UF program aimed at improving mental health of Gainesville residents