Faced with a growing mental health crisis impacting youth, the Illinois Department of Health and Human Services is providing nearly $13 million to groups across the state to boost school-based mental health services and training on recognizing mental health ch­allenges for early intervention.

The state gave 15 Illinois organizations money to train school personnel, emergency responders, law enforcement and others to recognize the signs of mental health challenges for early interventions.

One of those organizations was Human Support Services, a Waterloo-based nonprofit that provides mental and behavioral health services to adults and children. 

HSS will receive a grant for $249,681 to provide more services for youth.

As the largest provider of mental and behavioral health services in Monroe County, HSS has seen a dramatic increase in the number of young people experiencing mental health crises in the last two years.

“We are seeing an unprecedented spike in the need for outpatient counseling, in-school counseling and crisis response for youth,” said HSS President and Chief Executive Officer Anne Riley. “Our agency saw 46 percent more youth in our mental health counseling program in the first quarter of this fiscal year than ever before.”

And these are just the children getting the help they need. The CDC estimates only about 20 percent of our nation’s children get help from a specialized provider for mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders.

“At HSS, we strive to meet children where they are by partnering with local school districts and having counselors at school. Still, it is not enough to address the growing need,” Riley said. “That’s why this funding is so vital. Half of all mental disorders begin by age 14 and three-fourths by age 24. Early intervention and timely services are essential.”

In collaboration with local school districts and law enforcement, HSS has established a set of goals for the Mental Health Awareness and Training initiative – a program it plans to develop with the newly-awarded funding.

Goals include improving collaboration around mental health issues throughout the community by increasing the number of individuals certified to provide Mental Health First Aid or Youth Mental Health First Aid training to others.

Mental Health First Aid is a public education course that teaches lay people how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. 

Youth Mental Health First Aid is targeted to youth – helping individuals like teachers, caregivers and clergy learn how to respond and provide quicker access to appropriate treatment.

Another major objective is to prevent youth mental health-related crises by reaching youth directly through organizations that already serve them, such as schools.

“One of our biggest challenges in schools for dealing with the mental health of our children is that as educators, we are not formally trained for mental health practice,” said Kelton Davis, Regional Superintendent of Schools. “This new initiative empowers us not to solve the problem but to help identify issues when they arise and help the children get on the path to wellness. We don’t have to become the counselor – but we can see and act appropriately well in advance of tragedy.”

Davis recognized that educators already have a full plate, which has added even more stressors as the youth mental health crisis grows. For the last decade, the trend has been to send kids struggling with social or emotional concerns to school counselors, who make great strides but also quickly get overwhelmed as the need continues to grow.

With new tools and services proposed by the MHAT initiative, such as a comprehensive and local resource guide and Youth Mental Health First Aid training, educators will have definitive strategies for getting them help.

“There’s not an educator on this planet who doesn’t see the need for something to happen differently,” Davis said. “Our kids are hurting. By empowering the kids and the educators to know more and have a process, we don’t just have to sit by and say ‘well I hope they get the help.’ We’ll know what actions we may take and when we should take them. I think this is good for our schools’ students and staff as well as everyone in our community. Ultimately this will benefit everyone in our county and make mental health wellness part of our culture.”

Local law enforcement, including the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, have been collaborating with HSS for years on mental health education and programs to reduce recidivism. 

A third objective of MHAT is to continue those efforts with two measures: public safety personnel will work to improve communications by developing shared language and continue to increase overall awareness of mental health and substance use challenges.

“Recognizing mental health concerns early and providing access to appropriate services is important in preventing future issues – particularly when it comes to our young people,” said Monroe County Sheriff Neal Rohlfing. “Whether you look at it as a member of the community or as someone in law enforcement, it’s clear that the best way to address the issue is to provide resources at the first sign of someone in need of help – not 20 years down the road.”

For more information on HSS, call 618-939-4444 or visit hss1.org.