A new pilot program that looks to help kids with their mental health is coming to the Twin Ports, after some global development.
EASE, which stands for Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions, is a program developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) that focuses on mental health activities for older kids, younger teens, and their parents or caregivers.
EASE is administered through multiple small group sessions that teach participants how to do things such as understanding their emotions and building calming techniques. After a favorable showing in New York City, the program is now coming to the Twin Ports, thanks to ArcaMind and the Miller-Dwan Foundation.
Tina Xu, a Clinical Psychology PhD candidate with The New School in New York, worked with the program there, and says it had several positive outcomes for the 153 kids involved.
“We found that distress symptoms went down, sense of school belonging went up, impairment to daily functioning, or how hard it feels to do daily life tasks, went down. Depressive symptoms also went down,” Xu explained.
Duluth and Superior of course, are much different than New York City, but Xu says it’s adaptable to local cultures – a nod to it’s WHO development.
“What the sessions look like really depends on what community you’re working in and what feels relatable to the young people, what resonates with them,” she said, “So when we brought it to New York City, we spent six months culturally adapting the program for US kids.”
Four local partners will be trained in delivering EASE, including the Boys and Girls Club of the Northland, as well as the Superior School District. The University of Wisconsin Superior will be evaluating the program afterwards.
More information on EASE can be found on the WHO’s website.
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