Mar 18, 2024 By Karen Mansfield 4 min read

Metro Creative

Washington Health System Teen Outreach has launched “Road to Mental Health Education,” a new and innovative support program for teens and young adults who are coping with grief and loss.

Dr. Mary Jo Podgurski

Metro Creative

Washington Health System Teen Outreach has launched “Road to Mental Health Education,” a new and innovative support program for teens and young adults who are coping with grief and loss.

Young people dying by suicide has occurred with alarming frequency in recent years.

Over the past five years, suicide has been the second-leading cause of death for people ages 15 to 19 in the United States, second only to accidents.

And from 2007 to 2021, suicides among American youths ages 10 to 24 rose 64%, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Washington Health System Teen Outreach has launched “Road to Mental Health Education,” a new and innovative support program for teens and young adults who are coping with grief and loss.

“Grief and loss doesn’t only mean death, but it means the loss of friendships and relationships, failing to make a team, failing school classes, sadness over a divorce, or financial concerns,” said Dr. Mary Jo Podgurski, director of Teen Outreach.

The program is a five-pronged approach to proactive education that aims to raise teen mental health awareness and prevent youth suicides.

Road to Mental Health Education includes parent online support; a teen mental health advisory board; evidence-based in-school education; professional in-services on cyberbullying, suicide prevention, and teen depression; and teen discussion groups on grief and loss.

The teen discussion groups are scheduled for the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m., with the first meeting slated for March 21 at the Common Ground Teen Center, 92 N. Main St., Washington.

“I want to give kids a place to talk, and to provide a forum for how they feel,” said Podgurski.

She decided to start the program after a 13-year-old Washington County girl died by suicide in November 2023 and after the suicide of four students from Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School in Butler in the past two years.

“I can’t sit idly by. My message to people is you can make it better and you can make a difference,” said Podgurski. “It’s scary and a bit overwhelming when this happens, and people say, ‘How could this have happened?’ I don’t have all the answers, but I have some. We are not helpless and we have to be proactive.”

Podgurski said the parent online support – which so far includes 300 participants – is geared “for any adult, any human being interested in youth mental health.” Visit www.facebook.com/groups/3319314038366364 to access the page, which provides education about mental health, bullying, depression, and suicide prevention. It is not a therapy group.

The program also aims to provide education services to area school districts for cyberbullying, in-person bullying and other abuse.

“What kind of trauma drives kids to take their own life? We want to teach teachers and guidance counselors what the red flags are,” said Podgurski. “The purpose of this is to educate adults and young people. We are all in this together and if we want to keep children alive, we have to get to the root of the despair.”

The teen mental health advisory board currently has eight of its 20 spots filled. Podgurski said teen voices matter.

“I’m concerned not only by the number of suicides, but by the rash of suicide attempts by kids who don’t feel like there’s anything to go on for,” said Podgurski. “To quote Ted Lasso, ‘There is something worse out there than being sad, and that is being alone and being sad.’ Knowing somebody cares is a lifeline to these kids.”

For additional information or questions, contact Dr. Mary Jo Podgurski at 412-877-4906 or podmj@healthyteens.com.