Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM)

Youth Aware of Mental Health, also known as YAM, is a school-based suicide-prevention program for young people in eighth through 12th grade, in which they learn about and explore the topic of mental health. YAM is an evidence-based program taking place in classrooms around the world. In YAM, students actively engage with the topic of mental health through role-play and student-led discussions.

The YAM program includes education on the following themes:

• What is mental health?
• Self-help advice
• Stress and crisis
• Depression and suicidal thoughts
• Helping a friend in need
• Who can I ask for advice?

For school districts in Northeast Texas, the program curriculum is facilitated in person by the YAM team with the Robert M. Rogers Department of Psychiatry at UT Tyler School of Medicine.

Areas We Serve

The YAM - Northeast Texas program provides mental health education for school districts in the following 25 counties: Anderson, Bowie, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Delta, Franklin, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Hopkins, Lamar, Marion, Morris, Nacogdoches, Panola, Rains, Red River, Rusk, Shelby, Smith, Titus, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood.

Interested in learning more about YAM in Northeast Texas? Email YAM@uttyler.edu.

For more information about YAM programs throughout Texas, visit The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, our lead in the project.