Transforming Teen Mental Health Awareness: Insights from the tMHFA Feedback Sessions
Empowering schools to build stronger mental health support systems through student-led insights.
When Mental Health America of Northern Kentucky and Southwest Ohio (MHANKYSWOH) sought to evaluate and enhance their Teen Mental Health First Aid program, they turned to Sage Outcomes to uncover deep insights from those at the heart of the initiative - the students and educators themselves. Through a series of carefully crafted focus groups, we embarked on a journey to understand how this vital training impacts young lives and shapes school communities.
Client: Mental Health America of Northern Kentucky and Southwest Ohio (MHANKYSWOH)
Industry: Nonprofit Mental Health Advocacy
Background: MHANKYSWOH leads the charge in mental health awareness and education across their region, delivering vital resources and support to communities. Their innovative approach to youth mental health has positioned them as a trusted partner for schools and families navigating the complexities of adolescent wellbeing.
MHANYKSWOH faced a critical mission: to evaluate the effectiveness of their Teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) program and understand its real-world impact on students' awareness, behaviors, and support networks. They needed to identify both strengths and gaps in their curriculum while discovering ways to enhance its long-term applicability and integration into school systems.
Our research began with a collaborative project kickoff that brought together all key stakeholders. We carefully designed an approach that would not only gather insights but also create a safe, supportive environment for participants to share their most genuine experiences. The initial planning call focused on aligning research objectives, developing a transparent recruitment strategy, and ensuring we would work harmoniously with school administrators.
Our team crafted three distinct discussion guides—each meticulously tailored to students, teachers, and instructors—working closely with the tMHFA team to ensure our approach would yield meaningful, nuanced insights. We understood that research on mental health, especially involving young people, requires more than just a standard methodology. It demands sensitivity, warmth, and a deep commitment to creating a space of trust and open dialogue– something our team is uniquely equipped to do.
Led by our lead research consultant Hailey Mortimore, the one-hour virtual focus group sessions were designed to be more than just data collection—they were opportunities for genuine conversation. We leveraged existing tMHFA networks to recruit participants and provided an honorarium to acknowledge the value of their time and insights. Throughout each session, our moderator created an environment of emotional trust and safety, encouraging participants to share openly while maintaining the utmost respect for their experiences.
The magic of our approach lies in our ability to transform sensitive conversations into actionable insights. Using a comprehensive thematic analysis, we didn't just collect data—we uncovered stories. We identified patterns, explored the nuances of student and educator experiences, and developed recommendations that speak to the heart of mental health support in schools.
The research journey revealed three key themes:
Our exploration uncovered valuable insights that illuminate both the program's strengths and opportunities for growth:
Program Impact & Engagement
Our research methodology goes beyond traditional approaches. We specialize in creating research environments that are supportive and designed to truly hear the voices of participants. This isn't just about collecting information—it's about understanding the human experience behind every data point.
We equipped MHANYKSWOH with:
The research led to transformative recommendations for strengthening the tMHFA program:
"The training allowed students to put into words what they were feeling. It gave them a vocabulary and framework to pinpoint their emotions and talk about it with someone else where they might have struggled before." - Teacher
Strategic enhancements recommended include:
This collaborative journey with MHANKYSWOH exemplifies how deep listening and careful analysis can transform educational programs into more inclusive, effective tools for supporting youth mental health.
