Dr. Linda Reece with the University of North Georgia was trained on how to spot mental health issues in the classroom and then taught 60 soon-to-be teachers how to do the same.
"They'll know the signs of depression, anxiety and substance abuse and how to approach a student," Reece said.
The goal of the training is to be able to teach education students how to recognize the problem. That would then allow them to direct students to the correct person, such as a counselor or another mental health professional.
Some students, like Taylor Lyle, a sophomore from Winder, Georgia, pursuing a degree in elementary and special education, appreciated the role-play scenarios that they played out in the training.
"We were able to perform these scenarios to get a better feel for what we should do in these instances," Lyle said. "I am thankful to know how to help."
Reece said over the past year, during the COVID-19 pandemic, statistics show that emergency room admissions for adolescents as a result of suicide attempts or other mental health issues have risen by 34%.
“On top of what we were already experiencing, which was an increase in adolescents with issues of depression and untreated anxiety, COVID really amped it up because of isolation and the disconnect with not being at school,” Reese said.
She added that returning to school is important because school personnel can recognize issues that a student may have.
“We are preparing our College of Education students for the future in a way we haven't before," Dr. Sheri Hardee, dean of the College of Education, said. "This training can be very personal. It's asked our students to be reflective, and that will make them more empathetic educators in the future."
The program is possible because of a $6,000 State Farm Good Neighbor Citizenship Grant and some UNG funding.
