Flagler Health+ Holds Third Annual Teen Mental Health BRAVE Summit
By: Misty Buck, Athlete Mental Health Coach, and Contributor to HOFH
What started as a community hospital 135 years ago, Flagler Health+ has since expanded to serve as a total care enterprise aimed at advancing the physical, social, and economic health of Northeast Florida communities. The organization plays a particularly significant role in leading community preventative programs. One such program that has been gaining momentum is the BRAVE Program (Be Resilient and Voice Emotions), which has made significant progress in connecting students to mental health resources.
Groundbreaking BRAVE Program Gains Momentum in Florida
The BRAVE program began as a concept in 2018 with leadership from Flagler Health+ in partnership with St. Johns County School District. Paige Stanton, MA, Executive Director of Care Connect, was a part of the program from the start.
“We realized students and families needed behavioral health support,” said Stanton. “We were seeing an epidemic in the amount of services needed and not enough support so we thought we could help solve that by acting as a hub for all behavioral health referrals that are received from the school district.”
As noted on the Flagler Health+ website, before BRAVE’s implementation in St. Johns County Schools, only 35% of students who were referred to mental health providers were seen by a medical professional. With the BRAVE program, that rate has increased to 90% Since its inception, BRAVE has expanded into more school districts, including Clay, Nassau, Putnam, and Volusia Counties, with the ability to assist more than 170,000 students.
The program is so successful that the Florida House of Representatives approved $3 million in appropriations in the 2022-2023 budget to help BRAVE grow and expand into school districts throughout the state.
Third Annual BRAVE Summit Attended by Over 1,000 Students
The BRAVE program began by working primarily with families and guardians, however, the program’s leadership wanted to get to the heart of working directly with students. In 2021 they introduced the BRAVE Summit which was a virtual event where students could connect with each other in a safe space and discuss their feelings, with the ultimate goal of fostering mental wellness in teenagers. In 2022, the summit shifted to an in-person festival-style event that was attended by 501 students. Exploding in popularity, the 2023 summit was attended by more than 1,000 students.
The summit brings together a variety of speakers, providers, and vendors who host activities for the students to participate in. The event also seeks to reach the varying interests of students. For example, in 2023, the summit featured a student drum line, a skateboard ramp staffed by people who had their own mental health struggles, and brought together several football teams and other sports teams who attended together.
Aside from specific interest groups, the event seeks to get every student involved. One way that the BRAVE Summit encourages students to open up is through interactive stations. In 2023, there was a “let it go” table. The student would write something down that they wanted to let go of on a piece of dissolving paper. The student then put the paper in water and it dissolved. There were many students and volunteers that found this to be an incredibly impactful activity. During this activity, and all around the event, there were counselors walking around to make sure that everyone was okay. If a student needed support, there was a designated space in private where they could speak to a counselor and even get registered for the BRAVE program.
“I have seen students talking to each other who met at the summit. They are able to relate to and connect with other students from different schools so they don’t feel alone in their journey anymore,” says Stanton. “The summit and all of its speakers and activities are important for breaking the stigma around mental health and removing the fear of taking that first step toward support. Students can take away tools for themselves, but they can also share them with their peers and have a ripple effect. Our focus is building a peer-to-peer community so that they feel comfortable. We’re also in the process of a youth advisory board for the program were we will get direct input from students on how to improve the BRAVE program and continue to advocate for what is needed for students.”
As a Hall of Fame Health (HOFH), Elite Care Center, Stanton credits the organization for helping to boost the summit’s success.
“Hall of Fame Health was a huge supporter of the summit in helping to get the word out. They graciously donated two signed footballs from Hall of Famer Tony Boselli to raffle off at the summit. The footballs were a huge hit with the students,” adds Stanton. “We’re always looking at ways to meet the varying needs and interests of students. For example, right now we’re looking into building a program specific to student-athletes.”
Today’s Youth Experiences Unique Mental Health Challenges
In addition to the typical challenges that youths and teens face growing up, there are some unique difficulties that this generation faces as well.
“Accessibility is a big issue,” says Stanton. “Students are more connected than ever but also more isolated than ever. Standards and ideals are constantly changing including what they see on social media such as popular dances to make-up trends to beauty standards or even the perfect workout. They want to keep up with all of the trends, but this continues to cause an increase in comparison to unrealistic standards, which can result in feeling more isolated. Trying to take all of that in, in combination with school and other demands, their brains are on overload.”
“Accomplishment standards are also enormously high. There is increasing pressure to do well in a society that is constantly pushing us to do more and achieve more to “unlock” the next level of life. I’ve seen students struggle because we’re putting too much on their shoulders and not backing off to ask if that’s what they really want. The bar continues to rise higher and higher at a younger and younger age. We can do a better job at encouraging them without putting incredible amounts of pressure on them.”
Stanton suggests that we teach children to focus more on doing what they enjoy rather than reaching to accomplish something just for the sake of accomplishing it. She says it helps to guide them to pour their passion and energy into something that fulfills them and makes them happy and healthy. This approach is good for everyone because when they are doing things that fulfill them, they’ll spread joy to a much larger radius of people by doing what they love instead of doing what they feel obligated to do.
To learn more about the BRAVE Program and its state-wide expansion visit https://www.careconnectplus.com/programs/brave-expanding-throughout-florida/ or reach out to Paige Stanton at Paige.Stanton@flaglerhealth.org.
HOFH’s Network and Elite Care Centers encompass a variety of health systems and behavioral health services. This network of provider partners spans nationwide inclusive of a full scope of care to all conditions for not just former players, but also for their spouses and dependents.
About the Author: Misty Buck is an athlete mental health and mindset coach and contributor to Hall of Fame Health. She can be reached at https://purposesoulathletics.com.