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What do we do when our world is turned upside down? During a pandemic, when the playbook is being written in real time, first responders across the country do what they’re trained to do: We go back to the basics...

On March 10, I stood in a classroom teaching Mental Health First Aid. I was three hours away from the closest confirmed COVID-19 case. Nothing had been cancelled, life in my small rural county hadn’t been altered in any way,...

Natural disasters affect lives and property in many ways, devastating communities through a chain of catastrophic sequences affecting social and economic developments. These events are often difficult to predict, prevent and control. They affect individuals who must cope with trauma,...

When I was a child, I wanted to be a teacher so I could help people. I would play “school” with my siblings and use it as an escape from all the not-so-great life experiences I was going through. Even...

Often, people suffer in silence rather than admit they are struggling and need help. And too often, people turn their backs on those with mental health issues either because they lack insight into what mental health is or they are...

Eventually we have to ask ourselves, “Why are we afraid of mental health?” As my high school experience came to an end, I found myself in the middle of a revolutionary path toward understanding and normalizing mental health. It is...

I wanted to help them. I wanted to say something. But, what could I do? What could I say? When I lost one of my classmates to suicide, I had no clue what to do. Suddenly, so many lives were...

Joel Davis became a First Aider to better serve the people experiencing homelessness in Long Beach Calif., where he works as a firefighter. But when he took the course, he knew he wanted to bring Mental Health First Aid to...

Forgetting to do your homework, misplacing a project that is due or leaving your lunch at home are all minor inconveniences that high schoolers face. They may be frustrating at the moment and become a low for the day, but...

My journey working with refugee communities started three-and-a-half years ago, when I worked as a case manager and coordinated employment programs for refugees in Pittsburgh, Pa. A lot of the work I did was very hands-on, meaning that I was...

I’ve never been embarrassed or felt shame about catching a cold or getting the flu. I remember having countless sports injuries that required a trainer and sometimes even a doctor’s attention – x-rays, stitches and staples. I even had my...

I have been a counselor for 15 years and have watched teens struggle with anxiety and depression. I have lost students. When you become a school counselor nowhere in your training do they tell you that you will lose students,...