Practice radical inclusion by assuming that at least one young person you know will experience a mental health challenge this year. A UU World Article on Mental Health, Youth and UU Support notes that suicide is now the second-leading cause of death among Americans ages 10 to 14.

As a faith organization we focus on the twin tasks ofspiritually supporting the mental wellbeing of young people and dismantling unjust conditions that contribute to or exacerbate mental illness. Below is an incomplete list of trainings and resources to help you skill up.

DRE Facilitated Peer Pastoral Care Training

The Peer Pastoral Care Training at UU Institute: combines video presentations of core content, discussion prompts and other activities for participants. Topics include active listening skills and practice, cultural and neurotype considerations and how to expand the circle of support in a crisis. This program is intended for high school-age youth.

Emotional CPR

The Emotional CPR (eCPR) is a public health education program designed to teach people to assist others through an emotional crisis in three steps: C = Connecting, P = emPowering, and R = Revitalizing. People who have been through the training consistently report that the skills they learned have helped them communicate better in all their relationships.

Community Resilience Model

Community Resilience Model Training (CRM) trains community members to help themselves and others in their wider social network. The primary focus of this skills-based, stabilization program is to re-set the natural balance of the nervous system. CRM’s goal is to help to create “trauma-informed” and “resiliency-focused” communities that share a common understanding of the impact of trauma and chronic stress on the nervous system and how resiliency can be restored or increased using this skills-based approach.

Youth Mental Health First Aid

YMHFA is a model of support developed by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. YMHFA is based on an action plan that 1) focuses on ensuring youth have a voice and a choice in their mental health care and recovery & 2) teaches people how to respond in a crisis or emergency situation. In this training you will learn how to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health challenges and crises in youth and practice applying appropriate steps to help youth. Contact youth@uua.org to schedule a training

UU Mental Health Network Resource Page

UU Mental Health Network’s (UUMN) goal is to empower the Beloved Community in honoring each individual’s unique mental health journey towards wellness. Their resource page is filled with ways to commit to mental health justice including a toolkit for children and youth.

Spiritual Care Training for Religious Educators

Spiritual Care Training for Religious Educators at UU Institute is robust training is specifically for religious educators.C ompanioning one another spiritually is one of the most important ministries of a faith community. It’s often referred to as “Pastoral Care,” which might imply that the Pastor should do all of the care. But ministry in congregations is meant to be shared between ordained and lay leaders.

Funding

If the costs associated with any of these trainings or resources are a barrier to participation please consider how a Religious Education Continuing Education Grant or Youth and Young Adult Ministries Community Project Grant can support you.