A NEW ANGLE ON FIRST AID - Nearly all teachers and paraprofessionals at the NRHEG school system took part in a "Mental Health First Aid" course intended to help them recognize indications young people are experiencing difficulties which might lead to mental health challenges. The course also included training in best ways to approach and assist people having difficulty. Here are many of the district's paraprofessionals who attended the course on August 30. With them are Annette Duncan, instructor for the course and president of the United Way of Steele County (front center) and fellow trainer Bruno Vela (back left.) Star Eagle photo by Deb Bently
NRHEG staff learn “Mental Health First Aid”
Thu, 09/03/2026 - 7:15am
In recent years, the number of people coping with mental health challenges has been rising, particularly among those 35 and younger.
Unlike physical ailments which are made evident by symptoms such as a fever, a limp, or some sort of pain, mental health difficulties are entirely internal and can be recognized mostly by changes in behavior.
The NRHEG School system recently brought in the United Way of Steele County for a “first aid” class in how to recognize and respond when “youths” from elementary grades all the way up to age 19 are having trouble; current statistics show that 1 in every 5 young persons will experience a mental health diagnosis sometime in their lives.
Instructor for the topic was Annette Duncan, president of United Way of Steele County. Duncan explains the course was made possible by the settlement money distributed all across the country when pharmaceutical companies were sued for their handling of opioid medications. Steele County chose to use part of its opioid settlement money to support the mental health first aid class: substance abuse is one of several classifications of mental health challenges that is covered during the course.
All NRHEG staff members whose duties call for working directly with students–chiefly teachers and education support professionals–were expected to take part in the 8-hour training.
The course identified and provided information about seven classifications of mental health difficulties, including depression, anxiety, eating imbalances, psychosis, substance misuse, attention-deficit difficulties, and trauma-related developments.
Staff members received training in how to recognize some of the symptoms of a mental health challenge: these included changes in behavior, withdrawal from interacting with others, fear, separation difficulties, and many more.
Along with that, a significant part of their time was spent learning the “ALGEE” response system, which called for anyone who is observing possible signs of an emerging mental health challenge to assess the circumstances, approach the individual, listen without judgment or interruption, and then, when appropriate, encourage the person to seek assistance from a qualified mental health professional and also encourage him or her to find healthy activities and settings likely to help prevent difficulties from cycling downward.
“It’s very difficult to listen nonjudgmentally,” Duncan observed as she taught. “We have to set aside our own preconceptions and recognize that, right now, we are working with this person who is coming from their own culture, their own life experiences, and their own way of life.
“We don’t judge. We listen and we do what we can to make the situation more positive.”
“First Aiders,” as class members were called, took part in group exercises meant to strengthen their understanding of the many topics. They were also given tools to help assess whether a situation should be viewed as a “non-crisis” or “immediate crisis,” then addressed various types of responses suitable to the circumstances.
Staff members who attended the training commented on how it provided information they expect to find very useful as they interact with students in the coming year.