The Eden Prairie High School (EPHS) Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) and the Minnesota chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI Minnesota) are hosting a free mental health workshop at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, in the Central Middle School Performing Arts Center.
“Early Warning Signs of Mental Illness in Youth” is a workshop designed to help parents, guardians, and other adults who work with children learn early warning signs of mental illnesses and trauma, gain an understanding of the impact of mental illnesses and trauma on children and youth, and learn strategies to support children who live with an illness.
Suicide warning signs and resources will also be covered. The event is open to all adults who are interested (childcare will not be provided), whether Eden Prairie community members or people from other communities. No RSVP is required.
Brenda Wood, an EPHS parent and the current PTO treasurer, said it was important for the PTO to provide education to support families who might be struggling with mental health issues but are overwhelmed and unsure of how to seek help.
“We organized this based on perceived community needs,” she said. “As a PTO, we decided to focus on helping parents be prepared and understand how to recognize early warning signs of mental health in our kids.”
Especially after the painful losses of Eden Prairie community members to suicide over the past several years, including EPHS student Aaron Husmann one year ago, Wood said, “We can never do enough.”
Wood said the PTO chose to contact NAMI because that organization offers extensive resources and programs to help families.
NAMI Minnesota is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and adults with mental illnesses and their families. NAMI works to promote the development of community mental health programs and services, change public attitudes about mental illnesses, improve access to services, and increase opportunities for recovery.
In addition to the presentation, NAMI will hand out printed resource sheets to anyone who would like them. “It gives parents a place to start,” Wood said.
Anyone who cannot attend the workshop can visit NAMI’s website to learn more about the resources available, including a wide variety of in-person and online classes (many of them free of charge) for both children and adults.
The EPHS PTO offered a virtual youth mental health workshop during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Wood said it plans to offer two mental health-focused events next year.
She said the PTO hopes these events will help parents, caregivers, and other adults who work with kids become more proactive and comfortable talking about mental health.
“It’s good for people to hear about it and to learn how to talk about it, even if you’ve never been through it,” she said.
Wood encouraged EPHS families interested in learning more about the event or becoming PTO volunteers to email president@ephspto.org.
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