Mental Health and Wellness
Youth Mental Health First Aid is a skills-based training that teaches participants how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health challenges and substance use in youth. Participants learn a 5-step action plan to support students in crisis and connect them to appropriate help.
- Designed for educators, school staff, families, and community members
- Covers common youth mental health challenges (e.g., anxiety, depression, trauma, substance use)
- Teaches the ALGEE action plan (Assess, Listen, Give reassurance, Encourage help, Encourage self-help)
- Includes scenarios, discussion, and guided practice
- Certification course typically delivered in a full-day or blended format
Trauma-informed practices are Tier 1 approaches that recognize the impact of trauma on student behavior, learning, and relationships. These practices focus on creating safe, predictable, and supportive environments while adapting adult responses to meet the needs of students who may have experienced adversity.
Rather than asking “What’s wrong with this student?”, trauma-informed approaches shift to “What might this student have experienced, and how can we support them?”—ensuring that responses prioritize regulation, connection, and skill-building.
A significant number of students experience trauma or chronic stress, which can affect attention, behavior, emotional regulation, and relationships. Without a trauma-informed approach, schools may unintentionally respond to these needs with exclusion or punishment, which can worsen outcomes.
Implementing trauma-informed practices at Tier 1 helps create environments where all students feel safe and supported, reduces re-traumatization, and improves engagement, behavior, and academic success. These practices benefit all students—not just those with identified trauma histories.
- Focus on safety (physical and emotional): Classrooms are predictable, structured, and free from humiliation or harm
- Consistency and predictability: Clear routines, expectations, and adult responses reduce anxiety and uncertainty
- Relationship-centered approach: Strong, trusting adult-student relationships are prioritized
- Regulation before compliance: Adults support students in calming and regulating before addressing behavior
- Strength-based lens: Staff focus on student strengths and resilience rather than deficits
- Adult awareness and responsiveness: Staff recognize signs of stress/trauma and adjust interactions accordingly
- Avoidance of re-traumatization: Practices minimize triggers such as public shaming, power struggles, or exclusionary discipline
- Start with staff awareness and professional learning on trauma and its impact
- Audit current practices (discipline, routines, environment) for potential triggers or unintended harm
- Align trauma-informed practices with existing PBIS expectations and systems
- Teach and model self-regulation strategies for students (and adults)
- Use calm, neutral, and predictable responses during moments of escalation
- Build in regulation supports (breaks, calm spaces, sensory tools) within classrooms
- Prioritize adult wellness—staff need support to effectively support students
Mental health and wellness at Tier 1 focus on creating school environments that proactively support the social, emotional, and behavioral well-being of all students. This includes universal practices that promote resilience, teach coping and self-regulation skills, and ensure students feel safe, connected, and supported.
At the systems level, Tier 1 mental health and wellness efforts integrate with PBIS and MTSS frameworks to establish predictable, positive environments where prevention is prioritized and all students have access to foundational supports. These efforts also strengthen adult capacity to recognize early signs of need and respond in supportive, developmentally appropriate ways.
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Trainings:
Mental Health & Wellness
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