K-State to offer online training to build support network through the state
By Pat Melgares,
K-State Extension news service
MANHATTAN, Kan. – A Kansas State University official says an upcoming training session available to Kansans will help to address a concerning trend in mental health and resilience to stress in communities across the state.
Tawnie Larson, a program manager for the Kansas Agriculture Safety and Health program at K-State, said 20 spots are open for an online train-the-trainer workshop called Changing Our Mental and Emotional Trajectory, or COMET.
The session is planned for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (CST) on Sept. 22. Registration is available online. It is being hosted by K-State Extension’s Stress and Resiliency Transdisciplinary team.
“The training,” she said, “is aimed at expanding the number of trusted community members equipped to recognize mental health concerns and connect people with help.”
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reports that adult mental illness affects about 1 in 5 Kansans. The need is disproportionate in rural areas, where an estimated 27% of adults experience mental illness, compared with 19% of urban adults.
In addition, a KDHE analysis of suicide trends from 2011 through 2021 found that frontier counties – a term for sparsely populated areas that are isolated from major population centers and services -- had the highest age-adjusted suicide rate, followed by rural counties (defined as having less severe isolation from services compared to frontier counties). Rural counties also experienced a 191.5% increase in the suicide rate during the period studied.
Larson said the state’s statistics underscore a need for building a support network that includes residents of every community in Kansas.
“Community members are often more likely to seek help from someone they already know and trust, making trained community members an important bridge to formal mental health resources,” Larson said.
COMET was developed through the High Plains Research Network and teaches everyday community members how to recognize when someone may be in a vulnerable mental or emotional state and intervene early. The approach focuses on early detection, intervention and helping change a person's trajectory toward wellness.
Larson said COMET training can expand the number of individuals equipped to recognize signs of stress and mental health concerns, provide appropriate initial support, and connect community members with available resources and professional services.
“We want to move mental health support closer to where people live, work and gather by empowering trusted community members to recognize needs, start conversations, and connect people to help,” she said.
Larson added that K-State Extension’s role builds on its longstanding presence in Kansas communities and its ability to deliver evidence-based education directly to local residents. Extension already provides education focused on mental health, stress, resiliency and suicide prevention through its statewide network.
The cost for the Sept. 22 training is $180. In addition to K-State Extension, training is supported by the USDA-NIFA Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network through a North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center initiative called Engaging Programs to Support Producer Wellbeing.
More information is available by contacting Larson at tawnie@ksu.edu.