The document discusses Circle of Support, a community mental health model developed to address adolescent depression. It involves bringing together community groups, schools, health professionals, and families to educate them on the symptoms of depression in teens and how to support affected youth. The model provides curriculum and training materials for community presentations, parents and school staff, peer helpers, and skills-building activities for youth. Its goal is to build understanding of depression and provide a support network to help teens access mental health resources. Implementing the program in communities is intended to improve social connections and awareness of issues like underage drinking, suicide, and lack of adult support in schools.

1. A Community Effort toA Community Effort to
Understand and AddressUnderstand and Address
Adolescent DepressionAdolescent Depression

2. What is Circle of Support?What is Circle of Support?
• Centers around schools, community
agencies, churches, service groups,
businesses, law enforcement, health
professionals, families and youth all
coming together to address teenage
depression
• It is unfortunately often triggered by
one or more suicide attempts

3. What is Circle of Support?What is Circle of Support?
• It has three main components in
community engagement:
• Education on the facts and symptoms
of adolescent depression
• Learning their role in supporting young
people in their community and that they
come in contact with
• Understanding how and where families
or youth can get help

4. What is a Circle of Support?What is a Circle of Support?

5. What is a Circle of Support?What is a Circle of Support?

6. Circle of Support as aCircle of Support as a
Community Mental HealthCommunity Mental Health
ModelModel
• The Model provides the following
supports:
1. Building a Circle of Support: A
model for Intervention and
Prevention of Adolescent Mental
Health Problems
• This piece is used to lay out the
philosophy and describes the steps to
implement a community based mental
health promotion program which can be
used by the Community Team.

7. Circle of Support as aCircle of Support as a
Community Mental HealthCommunity Mental Health
ModelModel
2. Adults Who Care: Education for
Parents and School Staff
This piece contains agendas, activities and
handouts for two 90-minute educational
programs to help community groups,
parents, school staff and other caring
adults recognize and understand
adolescent depression. Puzzle Pieces and
Faces of Depression Videos are used.

8. Components of aComponents of a
Community PresentationCommunity Presentation
• Deal with the myths and facts of Teen
Depresssion
• Learn how a circle of support can assist teens
• Recognize the major symptoms of Teen
Depression, “What to look for”
• Provide a greater understanding of what help
looks like
• Learn how to listen and help youth to talk

9. Circle of Support as aCircle of Support as a
Community Mental HealthCommunity Mental Health
ModelModel
3. Teens Helping Teens: Peer
Helper Training on Depression
and Suicide Attempts
• This piece contains educational materials
to instruct peer helpers at the junior and
senior high school levels on the topics of
depression and suicide. These can be
part of a formal peer helper program or
student leaders of many different levels
identified to serve in the peer helper role.

10. Circle of Support as aCircle of Support as a
Community Mental HealthCommunity Mental Health
ModelModel
4. Tackling Tough Stuff: Adolescent
Skills to Understand Depression
• This piece is intended for general use with
young people 12 to 18 years old. It can be
implemented through home room activities, in
church and other community youth groups as
classroom, small group or retreat activities.
• The activities promote recognition and
understanding of depression and skill-building
focused on coping, communication and
solving problems

11. Circle of Support as aCircle of Support as a
Community Mental HealthCommunity Mental Health
ModelModel
5. Teen Teachers: Cross Age
Education to Building Friendship
Skills
• This piece gives directions to engage High
School students in the delivery of cross-age
teaching to upper elementary school students
on the topics of being a friend and building a
Circle of Support.

12. Some BackgroundSome Background
• The program was developed by
psychiatrists, psychologists and
educators at the University of
Minnesota.
• It was developed from five years of
research involving over 15, 000
youth and is based on this research
and information presented by the
youth themselves.

13. Some BackgroundSome Background
• The human element of anguish and
desperation common to sucicidally
depressed teenagers impacted and
guided the team most in developing
these programs.
• Youth have great impact as they
share their message through the
videos to help others not have to go
through what they did.

14. • Iowa State University Extension
assists communities:
• in organizing the community Team,
• helping identify mental health service
providers,
• and in conducting training on the
curriculum components that the
community and schools might choose
to implement

15. Next Step in HarlanNext Step in Harlan
• To continue work with an identified set of youth as
Peer Helpers since Peer Relationships are so
important.
• Youth were selected that represent influence in many
different groups
• You as Community Members will focus on:
• Being part of a circle of support
• Understanding the symptoms of depression
• Knowledge of who and how teens can get help
• Sharing the Circle of Support with Comm. Groups

17. Percentage of students who hadPercentage of students who had
5 or more drinks of alcohol on5 or more drinks of alcohol on
any day during the last 30 daysany day during the last 30 days

18. Percentage of students who havePercentage of students who have
made a plan in the last 12 months tomade a plan in the last 12 months to
commit suicide.commit suicide.

19. Percentage of students who havePercentage of students who have
ever tried to kill themselvesever tried to kill themselves

20. Percentage of students who agree orPercentage of students who agree or
strongly agree that their teachersstrongly agree that their teachers
care about themcare about them

21. Percentage of students who agree orPercentage of students who agree or
strongly agree that their teachers arestrongly agree that their teachers are
available to talk with students one-on-available to talk with students one-on-
one.one.

22. Percentage of students who agree orPercentage of students who agree or
strongly agree that there is at least onestrongly agree that there is at least one
adult at school that they could go to foradult at school that they could go to for
help with a problemhelp with a problem