The Children’s Cabinet Celebrates New Award and Successful Second Year for Free Youth Mental Health First Aid Courses
RENO, Nev. – Taylor Morgan, Children’s Cabinet Program Coordinator and lead Instructor for Youth Mental Health First Aid, was the recipient of the Mental Health First Aid Community Impact Award and was named 2021 National Instructor of the Year for the Youth Mental Health First Aid Course. Since August 2020, The Children’s Cabinet has hosted 30 free online and in-person courses for adults looking to support youth called Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA). Additionally, the YMHFA Program team has trained 402 adults.
The Children’s Cabinet has trained adults from throughout the community including representatives from larger organizations such as Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, Churchill Community Coalition, Girl Scouts of Sierra Nevada, Suicide Prevention Network in Minden, Tahoe Rim Trail Association, and Nye County School District.
“It is incredibly humbling to receive this recognition,” said Taylor Morgan, Program Coordinator and course instructor at The Children’s Cabinet. “It brings me hope that there is so much interest from our community from people wanting to learn these skills to assist youth in crisis. I want to use this as momentum to grow this program even further and to continue to train others within our community.”
Along with the additional skilled trainers Del Bates, Cynthia Carstairs, Patricia Lopez, and Allie Nelson, Taylor and the team have made the YMHFA course accessible to parents and adults who want to have the resources to help a youth in crisis. Classes are now being offered in person as well as virtually, allowing for more collaboration and discussion during the course.
Additional grant funding provided by the Division of Public and Behavioral Health will allow the Youth Mental Health First Aid team to conduct trainings outside of Washoe County. Round Mountain hosted a training and we have others scheduled in Elko, Winnemucca, and at the California-Nevada Stateline.
“We are excited by the interest YMHFA is receiving in the community and more communities outside of Washoe County,” said Kim Young, Executive Director of The Children’s Cabinet. “We look forward to being able to train adults throughout the state who want to be able to support a young person.
The curriculum and training have been provided by the National Council for Behavioral Health and funding was granted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The classes are designed to teach parents, mentors, teachers, coaches, health and human services workers, and other caring citizens how to help an adolescent (age 12-18) who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or is in crisis. Anyone interested can sign up for a one-day training session and The Children’s Cabinet offers these free online classes virtually every month.
The course introduces common mental health challenges for youth, reviews typical adolescent development, and teaches a 5-step action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations. Topics covered include anxiety, depression, substance use, disorders in which psychosis may occur, disruptive behavior disorders (including AD/HD), and eating disorders.
Interested adults should contact Taylor Morgan at 775-348-6781 or tmorgan@childrenscabinet.org for the Spring and Summer course offerings. Adults may also download a one-sheet here. Other mental health services The Children’s Cabinet offers include free family counseling and a middle school screening called Signs of Suicide with Washoe County School District. For more information about The Children’s Cabinet and the services offered, please visit www.childrenscabinet.org.
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About The Children’s Cabinet
Established in Reno 1985, The Children’s Cabinet exists to keep children safe and families together by offering services and resources that address unmet needs. The organization represents a unique and effective collaboration between the private sector and public agencies in Nevada. The Children’s Cabinet helps more than 11,000 families annually with a wide range of services: basic needs, child care resources, education, and work experience programs, crisis intervention, and family counseling. As a non-profit agency, The Children’s Cabinet relies on community support to provide programs and services at no charge to children and their families.
Photo Provided by Taylor Morgan:
Taylor Morgan received the 2021 Mental Health First Aid Community Award from Chuck Ingoglia and Deanna Roepke of Mental Health First Aid April 2022.
