UNC System expands mental health training for future teachers and principals

Editor’s note: This article mentions suicide and self-harm. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988lifeline.org.

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The UNC System will train up to 420 future teachers and principals in Mental Health First Aid to identify and respond to mental health challenges this school year, according to a Sept. 10 press release.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), gives participants the skills to provide “initial help and support” to individuals experiencing mental health or substance use issues or crises. The training began in Australia and came to the United States in 2008. 

“Recognition of mental health challenges helps our community members to support students, and to prevent harmful behaviors, including substance abuse, self-harm and suicide,” said Kelley Greer, behavioral health programs consultant for the UNC System, in the press release. “The MHFA program is also a tool that helps students recognize mental health challenges in themselves, allowing them to seek support when they need it.”

The announcement coincided with National Suicide Prevention Week, which raises awareness on suicide prevention and warning signs. The NC Department of Health and Human Services has reported that suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth ages 10 to 18. Data from the Healthy Minds Network show shows that around 14% of U.S. college students experienced serious thoughts of suicide in the past year.

According to the system’s press release, in the coming year, the focus of the MHFA programming will “shift further toward reaching middle and high school students, helping build youth resilience and mental health before students reach college.”

Through the expanded training, a group of UNC System staff members and a training specialist will provide several MHFA trainings to participants in the system’s Teaching Fellows and Principal Fellows programs throughout the school year, the release said.

The North Carolina Teaching Fellows program provides financial assistance to undergraduates who commit to “teaching in high-need fields in North Carolina public schools.” Similarly, the Principal Fellows program invests in principal preparation programs.

Among the staff providing these trainings is Suzie Baker, assistant vice president for student affairs for the UNC System. Baker said the UNC System has a responsibility to strengthen student mental health early in their educational journey.

“Reaching K-12 students begins with preparing our teachers and school leaders,” Baker said in the release. “Our role is to ensure future educators can recognize signs of mental health challenges and are equipped with the knowledge and skills to support young people when they need it most.”

The training is available in two levels. A basic eight-hour course is available to anyone who is not already in the mental health field. The second level is the instructor training, a three-day intensive course with additional work completed before and after the course. Participants can receive a certification, and then must teach three courses the first year after their certification to maintain it. 

The press release said that more than 400 UNC System trainees are already certified to teach MHFA.

Sherri Rajesh, a graduate student at Appalachian State University, completed the training as an undergraduate at App State. She said it transformed her view of mental health to be not just a personal matter but a community responsibility.

“If future teachers are trained in MHFA, they’ll be better prepared, not only to spot signs of distress, but to help normalize mental health conversations in their classrooms,” Rajesh said in the press release. “That early support can be life-changing.”

The UNC System has trained more than 10,000 people since it began its MHFA efforts as part of a $1 million initiative in 2021, the release said. The following year, the system received a $5 million grant from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER) to expand its mental health services to students across the state. That funding allowed the training to reach 116 colleges and universities in North Carolina, according to the system’s website. 

In 2023, former Gov. Roy Cooper announced a $7.7 million investment to launch new mental health programs and sustain Mental Health First Aid. The funding came from the federal Emergency Assistance for Non-Public Schools program and was then reverted to GEER, a 2023 press release said.

In a 2023 interview with EdNC, Susannah High, director of student wellness and success at Haywood Community College, spoke about her experience providing the MHFA training to others in her community.

“The whole purpose is to put instructors out in the world, who can go and continue to share skills with more and more people, so that eventually, the average everyday person can just be better equipped to recognize problematic signs and symptoms,” High said. “It’s geared to be accessible for any person and not intimidating, so that you can learn how to recognize and respond.”