MORRISVILLE — Morrisville State College’s Liberty Partnerships Program and the Madison County Rural Health Council recently joined forces to provide teens in Chenango County with valuable mental health training, officials said.

Ten local teens participated in three days of training to become nationally certified as Teen Mental Health First Aiders. “We are so incredibly proud of this group of teens,” Kisten Giglio, LPP project director said, adding they are the first LPP group to be certified statewide and the first in Chenango County.

Teen Mental Health First Aid, or tMHFA, is an evidence-based training program for students in grades 10-12 that teaches the skills to recognize and aid their peers experiencing mental health and substance abuse challenges and crises, including how to quickly get the help of an adult, officials said. The tMHFA program is designed to help teens help each other navigate the difficult waters of adolescence.

Madison County Rural Health Council said the Mental Health First Aid training is an invaluable resource for teens. The program is offered by Madison County Rural Health Council’s trainers certified by the National Council for Mental Well-Being. MCRHC is offering this training in schools, youth organizations, and community settings after school hours.

Those interested in the program can contact the MCRHC to arrange a meeting to discuss bringing the training to a school or community group.

All of the LPP advocates and staff attended a Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) training earlier in the summer.

The advocates who attended the training left with the tools to identify, understand and respond to someone who might be struggling with mental health or substance use challenges — and connect them with appropriate support and resources when necessary, program officials said.

YMHFA is a skills-based training that teaches parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, health and human services workers, and any other adult who has youth in their lives.

In YMHFA training, the teens learned how to connect with a trusted adult to ask for help, how to respond to peers, and what to look for to help notice when someone might need a friend to talk to.

For information about how to host a  training, contact Jamie Hagenbuch at: jamie@mcruralhealthcouncil.org.