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�����Ƶ�Initially, we knew that there was a need for this within our schools, with the things going on with our kids, the families, just the general society issues,�����Ƶ� said Keith Thomas, director of health, wellness and student support services.

Thomas said there are up to 400 kids in Cabell County Schools experiencing homelessness and adding that on to other statewide issues such as the opioid epidemic is affecting students�����Ƶ� mental health.

�����Ƶ�Our teachers are usually the ones who are first in line to deal with that. So we knew that we needed to do something to help our teachers, our service personnel, all of them,�����Ƶ� he said.

Samuel spoke with the Behavior and Mental Health Technical �����Ƶsistance Center through Marshall University about a grant it could provide for the training program to help teachers address mental health issues in students, and the district sent a few teachers from every school. Cabell County Schools and the center were in discussions about sending another group of teachers during the early months of the 2022-23 school year.

But in November 2022, just before a follow-up meeting that had been planned with Marshall, Samuel�����Ƶ�s son, Cabell Midland High School student Caige Rider, died by presumed suicide near the school. Samuel went ahead with the meeting with Marshall, and after telling them how important the mental health first aid program had become to her, they asked her to be a trainer for a new grant they were writing for the program.

Samuel, along with Fox and Scott, all signed up to become trainers who would guide groups of other faculty members in Cabell County Schools on how to best approach, interact and guide other students who may be struggling.

Now, they are in their second school year of training faculty once a month through in-person and blended-delivery instructions.

�����Ƶ�I think that if I would have had that training, I would have approached things differently because it does talk about what we should and should not do when working with students that are going through a mental health crisis,�����Ƶ� Samuel said. �����Ƶ�My goal now is to make sure that people are aware of how we should approach the situation, things that we should say to the students, how we can talk with parents.�����Ƶ�

For example, she said the program teaches faculty non-judgmental listening skills, how to not make a situation about themselves, self-help for students and where to find readily accessible mental health resources.

�����Ƶ�There�����Ƶ�s not a lot of resources that the parents can get,�����Ƶ� Samuel said, describing her struggles to find her son medical attention and continuing to discover there were waiting lists for care.

�����Ƶ�I think that sometimes, when we�����Ƶ�re not part of it, we think there�����Ƶ�s an unlimited amount of resources out there �����Ƶ� but it�����Ƶ�s a lot more difficult than what we realize. And then on the flip side of that, there are some resources that the school system has that a lot of teachers are unaware of,�����Ƶ� she said.

Samuel said faculty who are trained through the mental health first aid program are becoming acquainted with resources like Prestera, which offers an emergency call number for students in distress. She said they may also connect students with counselors or social workers within the school or volunteer to talk to parents alongside students.

The program, she said, is also about looking for signs or behavior changes, in general, of students who may be struggling with mental health issues who don�����Ƶ�t automatically reach out for help.

�����Ƶ�A lot of teachers, when they come in, think that it�����Ƶ�s negative behavior changes, and it�����Ƶ�s not always. It could be a student that just was outgoing and is more quiet, a student who is just doing something different than what they were doing to begin with,�����Ƶ� she said. �����Ƶ�And so it�����Ƶ�s kind of observing that, and then also knowing the frequency of it, how often are these behaviors happening, the duration they�����Ƶ�re coming in.�����Ƶ�

These behaviors may include quitting something they were once interested in and not picking up a new interest in its place or even covering themselves up with clothing more often.

�����Ƶ�So watching for those signs, and then just approaching the student. Then we teach them how to approach,�����Ƶ� Samuel said.

Samuel said the trainings rotate through the schools, allowing administrators to submit the names of 30 faculty members who volunteer to take the trainings each month they�����Ƶ�re available at Barboursville Middle School. At BMS alone, Principal Kerri Brown said about 90% of her faculty are already trained.

�����Ƶ�I think the program is excellent and definitely needed,�����Ƶ� Brown said. �����Ƶ�I believe my philosophy is at middle school, the most important thing is their social, emotional learning. And this has been a great program. It really has opened the eyes of a lot of our employees so that we can be a better resource for our students.�����Ƶ�

Scott told The Herald-Dispatch in an email she has been a school counselor for 15 years and was actually trained almost a decade ago as a Youth Mental Health First Aid participant. So when the opportunity came to become an instructor for the program, �����Ƶ�It was a no-brainer for me to say, �����Ƶ�YES,�����Ƶ������Ƶ� she said.

�����Ƶ�I often say in our trainings that the best part about the YMHFA training is that we�����Ƶ�re not giving educators additional hats to wear �����Ƶ� but we�����Ƶ�re teaching them how to use the ones they already wear in a new way. We hope to empower educators to feel confident and comfortable in situations when our students are facing mental health challenges �����Ƶ� which is becoming more and more common every day,�����Ƶ� she said.

Scott said, ideally, she would like to connect with local first responders, emergency personnel and police departments in the future to train their staff, as well.

�����Ƶ�Just as we are trained in �����Ƶ�safety, first aid and CPR,�����Ƶ� so would I like to share these same principles of the Youth Mental Health First Aid with those �����Ƶ�first on the scene�����Ƶ� in times of crisis and trauma,�����Ƶ� Scott said in the email.

Fox, who has been a school counselor for 26 years and worked at a local mental health center as an outpatient adolescent therapist for three years, said in an email, �����Ƶ�With the increase of drugs/alcohol, internet/social media, and breakdown of families, students have so many more obstacles to overcome in order to be their best.�����Ƶ�

�����Ƶ�I decided to get involved with Youth Mental Health First aid, as an Instructor, because I have witnessed increasing mental health challenges and disorders in our students, and their families, which has directly impacted the students�����Ƶ� opportunities for educational success,�����Ƶ� Fox said.

�����Ƶ�I think the biggest result that we have seen through the training is that the staff have more knowledge of what changes to look for in students exhibiting that they may be having a tough time. Students are not always going to express it verbally so we have to notice deeper patterns of change. ... Carefully and kindly confronting the students about these concerns is the beginning steps of applying Youth Mental Health First Aid and then getting them the resources they need for continued support.�����Ƶ�

Thomas, who�����Ƶ�s in charge of students�����Ƶ� health and wellness, said in talking with other teachers in the county about the training, he has seen how it�����Ƶ�s helped, and the long-term goal is to train all Cabell County Schools�����Ƶ� staff.