• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
  • Log In
Itemlive

Itemlive

North Shore news powered by The Daily Item

  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Police/Fire
  • Government
  • Obituaries
  • Archives
  • E-Edition
  • Help
Diana DeLeo has been named the Program Director for A Healthy Lynnfield. (Spenser Hasak) Purchase this photo

Lynnfield High School highlights mental health first aid

Luke Acton

February 9, 2025 by Luke Acton

LYNNFIELD — A Healthy Lynnfield has brought mental health training programs to the town’s high school as a way of educating students, teachers, and coaches on how they can nurture an environment where teens feel comfortable discussing mental health.

It’s part of a response to data, acquired from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey taken every other year by students, which indicates that issues of depression and anxiety are major concerns, a trend that worsened due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We had already known from the administrators and the staff that there was a priority for that,” said Diana DeLeo, the Outreach Coordinator for A Healthy Lynnfield. “We have the data to show that it’s a priority for the kids in terms of how they feel about having a trusted adult they can go to.”

With this information, A Healthy Lynnfield has worked with Principal Patricia Puglisi to integrate suicide prevention training through a mental health first aid model, which has taught adults in the school the correct way to respond when a student confides in them.

As a result, LHS has been able to address issues that can be uncomfortable to discuss without having the proper knowledge. The response from students and staff so far has been nothing but positive.

“I hear that they appreciated the programs, and they got things out of the program,” said Puglisi. “We’re always looking for ways to support our students’ mental health and we always feel very supported by A Healthy Lynnfield.”

Seniors at the high school got an opportunity this past quarter to receive in-class training with teen mental health first aid themselves. They learned about the signs and symptoms they should be looking for in their friends that could signal a mental health issue.

The workshops have also taught the students the importance of simply asking if someone in their life is having suicidal thoughts and then how they can respond if that answer is yes.

“It’s teaching them who they can go to. It’s the 988 mass behavioral help line; the guidance and nursing in school; anyone who is their trusted adult,” said DeLeo. “It’s really helping them to pick up on signs and symptoms and then help them be a good friend and refer them and follow up with them and see if they’re getting the help that they need.”

A Healthy Lynnfield has also worked with The Nan Project for workshops that guide these seniors through the transition of leaving high school and giving them the preparation they need to take care of their own mental health in the adult world.

When these students eventually graduate and enter life after high school, whether that’s college or elsewhere, they can use these skills in dorm rooms or jobs with peers of their generation to foster a culture of mental health awareness.

More implementation of these courses could be down the road for Lynnfield High School, especially as more staff are trained in mental health first aid. A Healthy Lynnfield looks to get the town accredited as a teen implementation site, which would allow the district to offer further mental health classes.

“We’re going to be training all the nurses in the district next month, and the paraprofessionals at the high school and the school resource officer,” said DeLeo. “As we start to train more and more teams on the team model, they’re all going to be on the same page and be able to help one another in the same way.”

  • Luke Acton
    Luke Acton

    View all posts

Related posts:

LEGO legacy looms over Lynnfield Your top stories of the year

Primary Sidebar

Advertisement

RELATED POSTS:

LEGO legacy looms over Lynnfield Your top stories of the year

Sponsored Content

What questions should I ask when choosing a health plan?

Advertisement

Footer

About Us

  • About Us
  • Editorial Practices
  • Advertising and Sponsored Content

Reader Services

  • Subscribe
  • Manage Your Subscription
  • Activate Subscriber Account
  • Submit an Obituary
  • Submit a Classified Ad
  • Daily Item Photo Store
  • Submit A Tip
  • Contact
  • Terms and Conditions

Essex Media Group Publications

  • La Voz
  • Lynnfield Weekly News
  • Marblehead Weekly News
  • Peabody Weekly News
  • 01907 The Magazine
  • 01940 The Magazine
  • 01945 The Magazine
  • North Shore Golf Magazine

© 2025 Essex Media Group