South Side Training Teaches School and Campus Staff to Spot Mental Health Warning Signs

Texas A&M University-San Antonio is training school and college employees to give mental health first aid, a one-day course meant to help staff respond when a student shows signs of distress.

The effort comes as more children and young adults report elevated anxiety, stress and depression. Stephen Lenz, who directs the program and is a professor of clinical mental health counseling at the university, described the training as a broadly useful skill. "We really believe that this is a skill set for everybody," he said, calling it a protective factor for a community.

The university offers two versions of the course, one for K-12 staff and another for higher education. Known as the South Bexar County Mental Health Awareness Project, it focuses on employees who regularly deal with students on San Antonio's South Side, where the university sits. That includes everyone from bus drivers to advisors. A&M-San Antonio runs several initiatives addressing longstanding inequities in access to health care.

Lenz said many of his own colleagues have taken the course. Staff trained so far include Residence Life advisors, as well as employees in admissions offices, career services and academic advising, areas he described as key points where many students come and go.

Participants learn to recognize early signs and symptoms of mental illness and substance abuse. They also learn to tell apart what could be a crisis in the moment, what might become one later, and what is simply typical student development. Instructors then teach how to respond, with participants practicing through case studies and simulations. Lenz summarized the approach as offering "that listening ear," providing information and reassurance, and helping link the student to available supports.

One goal is to train enough people to notice warning signs so that a student can be helped before reaching the point of considering suicide. "It's also about empowering our participants to act," Lenz said, adding that the action in question is "really just reaching out." The idea is for trained staff to connect a person with a professional rather than act as one.

The project is in the second year of a three-year program and trains at least 300 people annually. Organizers hope to extend its reach by building it into the university's curriculum and staff development. Lenz said the program is open to partnerships that would lengthen its lifespan and broaden its impact.

National figures show the scale of the concern. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey found four in 10 high school students experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2023, and two in 10 seriously considered attempting suicide. An annual national survey of college students found more than 40% had symptoms of depression in 2023, and nearly 15% had serious thoughts of suicide.

Separately, the University of Texas at San Antonio is expanding its mental health support after a doctoral student died of a likely suicide on Nov. 6. UTSA canceled classes on Nov. 8 for a campus-wide Day of Reflection.

Anyone in crisis, or who knows someone who is, can call or text 988.