Every child experiences a “bad day” from time to time, but when a young person seems to be having difficulty with routine daily tasks or loses interest in doing the activities they love, it’s important to take notice.
Noticing, or assessing, was at the core of the Youth Mental Health First Aid certification course taught last month by Rye Youth Council Executive Director Lisa Dominici and RyeACT Coalition Coordinator Nancy Pasquale, to a roomful of adults at Rye Presbyterian Church.
“Early intervention is key for children experiencing a mental health challenge or disorder,” said Dominici, noting the average delay between the onset of mental illness symptoms and treatment is 11 years. “Our vision is to create a critical mass of adults in our community who can help a young person get help early and receive the mental health support they need. The earlier the intervention, the better the outcomes.”
Created by the National Council for Mental Well-being, the certification course introduces common mental health challenges for youth, reviews typical adolescent development, and teaches a five-step action plan for helping young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations.
Over the past two years, Dominici and Pasquale have certified more than 250 parents, educators, clergy, and other adults in Rye to recognize and respond to signs and symptoms of an emerging mental health or substance use challenge or crisis for youth in their lives. The course also teaches participants the best way to get the right level of help and support for the child in need.
The need for training is evidenced by current national and New York State statistics:
• 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6 to 17 experiences a mental health disorder each year.
• 50 percent of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75 percent by age 24.
• Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth aged 10-14; third leading cause for ages 15 to 24.
• 12.14 percent of youth in New York State are experiencing serious thoughts of suicide; the percentage of Rye youth reporting frequent suicidal thoughts almost doubled for grades 7 to 12 from 2021 to 2023, according to RyeACT.
• 19.58 percent of youth ages 12-17 in New York State reported suffering from at least one major depressive episode in the past year.
• 57.2 percent of youth in New York State with major depression did not receive any mental health treatment.
Among last week’s participants were staff from the Rye YMCA, which recently received a grant toward youth mental health first aid. “I have a passion for helping children,” said Liliana Gudino, the Rye Y’s child care director. “This course will be useful for the work I do and for making a difference in the lives of all kids.”
After completing the certification course, Kayla Bird, a Rye mother of three young children, said the course is “so impactful and meaningful and I wish everyone in the community would also take the time to understand how important mental health is … just as much if not more than physical health. I plan to take this course again!”
Rye Youth Council and RyeACT offer this course for community adults several times a year. For more information visit www.ryeyouthcouncil.org.
