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How A Mental Health Nonprofit is Addressing Youth Issues

Cook Center aims to reduce stigma around mental illness directly at home and in the classroom.
Helen Massy
Written by

Helen Massy

Childhood and adolescence are crucial periods for development, both physically and mentally, and neglecting mental health concerns during these stages can cause long-term consequences.

Addressing mental health in schools can help identify potential issues and allow early intervention, preventing them from escalating into more serious conditions later in life. This process allows children to develop healthy coping mechanisms, problem-solving skills and emotional intelligence, which are all essential tools for their future well-being.

For example, Greg and Julie Cook set up the Cook Center for Human Connection in Pleasant Grove, Utah, as a family foundation. Its mission is to unite different entities in order to prevent suicide, offer mental health services and support, and strengthen human relationships that are essential for individuals to flourish.

The foundation's primary objective centers around assisting children, families and schools in eradicating suicide by providing resources and aid to individuals coping with mental health challenges and their caregivers. They accomplish this mission by providing grants to educational institutions, programs tailored for parents and global resources aimed at raising awareness and enhancing support for those impacted by suicide.

The Cook Center provides a free resource to the public called ParentGuidance.org, where parents can access free mental health support from licensed medical professionals across the United States, especially where access is needed in rural and urban areas.

In an exclusive interview, Giddy spoke to Anne Brown, the CEO and president of the Cook Center for Human Connection.

Editor's note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What is your charity and what do you do?

Brown: The Cook Center for Human Connection is a nonprofit whose mission is to eradicate suicide and address youth mental health openly.

About 80 percent of students and parents rely on mental health resources through their school and/or district. Regardless of area, rural or urban, access to mental health professionals can be an obstacle for a multitude of reasons.

That is why the nonprofit created ParentGuidance.org, where parents can go online and find answers from medical professionals, or be connected to someone fitting their needs locally. ParentGuidance.org is also in school districts where parent and teacher nights openly discuss the various challenges they're facing, like bullying and social media, with licensed medical professionals.

What support can you provide?

As well as the Cook Center for Human Connection, we want to highlight two key resources in particular.

Our website, ParentGuidance.org, provides mental health support to schools and their communities to empower families to help children thrive. This service is at no cost to parents or caregivers. Our therapists have found that 50 percent of parents worry their child is struggling, but don't know what to do. In addition, 32 percent of parents feel their child is unhappy. On a global scale, an estimated 10 percent to 20 percent of adolescents experience mental health conditions.

The three pillars of ParentGuidance.org are:

  • One-on-one parent coaching individualized for families.
  • Online on-demand lessons taught by licensed therapists.
  • Live family mental health series webinars hosted by trained professionals.

In addition, we produced "My Life is Worth Living." It's the first animated series dealing with mental health, issues of isolation and suicide. It was created by some of the great minds behind [the TV show] "The Rugrats."

Schools use it in classrooms, and parents have found it helpful to engage during tough conversations with their children. You can watch the series online and access parental guidance, and lesson resources.

What other support does the Cook Center offer?

Mental health directly impacts a child's ability to learn and succeed academically. When students are experiencing mental health issues such as anxiety, depression or stress, their concentration, memory and problem-solving skills can be negatively affected. By addressing and supporting their mental well-being, students are better able to engage in their studies, perform well in exams and achieve their academic potential.

Besides ParentGuidance.org and "My Life is Worth Living," the Cook Center provides "calm room" grants to schools across the nation. We originally targeted 20 applicants but it was such a tough decision to narrow it down out of the about 230 applicants that we were able to increase our giving to five more schools for a total of 25.

The organization has helped schools establish best practices, training and usage for "calm rooms," regardless if they won a grant or not. Research shows calming spaces can:

  • Boost student learning.
  • Create stronger relationships between staff and students.
  • Improve students' self-esteem.
  • Reduce negative student behaviors.
  • Reduce the stress of both students and staff.

The nonprofit is proud to co-spearhead the American Association of Superintendents (AASA.org) 's Mental Health Cohort, which was founded this past year to address the youth mental health crisis at a school district level.

The nonprofit also presents at education and mental health conferences all over the U.S. and is actively involved with schools and district leaders to understand what needs there are in schools.

What do you want people to know about kids and mental health?

Addressing mental health in schools helps to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness. By openly discussing mental health and providing support, schools can create an environment where students feel comfortable seeking help and talking about their mental well-being without fear of judgment or discrimination.

This can contribute to a broader societal shift in attitudes toward mental health, promoting empathy, understanding and acceptance.

Mental health should be a conversation that is openly discussed at home and in schools. The youth mental health crisis is serious and talking about it is the first step to building healthier relationships and finding help.

Be kind to each other.