BY KAREN BOSSICK

Sixteen-year-old Amber Leyba has decided she wants to be a psychologist—something that will take between eight and 12 years of study beyond high school.

But she’s not waiting for a college degree to embark on her goal of erasing the stigma that often prevents 60 million Americans with anxiety, depression and other mental health issues from seeking help.

The earnest teenager with long reddish brown hair helped the Wood River chapter of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) create a Bluebirds support group at Wood River High School where she is a junior.

The group is designed to help high school students learn coping mechanisms to overcome the adversities and challenges that young people frequently face.

“We named it Bluebirds after that song ‘Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah,’ which talks about having Mister Bluebird on my shoulder and ‘My, oh my, what a wonderful day,’ ” said Leyba, who is a junior.

The group is an activity-based support group that organizes hikes, team building over a ropes course, dog walks for the Animal Shelter and other activities that naturally support mental health. Leyba also hopes to organize a few events, such as a Youth Fest, this school year to teach teens about mental illness and suicide prevention and how to achieve mental health.

Leyba became interested in helping others after receiving help to deal with her mother’s death. She has volunteered with the Crisis Hotline, attending the organization’s training which covers everything from dealing with people suffering from PTSD to plugging people into local resources.

She helped with NAMI’s stigma-free bicycle ride this past spring. And she organized a silent auction at the Ellsworth Inn to raise money for Crisis Hotlines and NAMI’s efforts involving suicide prevention.

”A lot of people say, ‘Oh, no, let’s not let anyone know what happened.’ But it’s better to be open and say: It’s okay to need help. It’s okay to talk about our challenges,” she said.

Leyba attended the NAMI National Conference in Washington, D.C., this summer  with NAMI’s Christina Cernansky. They were the only ones from Idaho.

Leyba watched as Tipper Gore shared why she donated a million dollars to educate youth about getting the help  they need. She listened to Naomi Judd share her story of managing Bipolar and severe treatment-resistant depression

She learned that suicide screenings and follow up in the ER is key to suicide prevention. And she learned that naming a word that describes the emotion one is experiencing and writing down that word or words helps blunt the immediate impact of negative feelings.

She interviewed authors like Jon Powers, author of “No One Cares About Crazy People,”  to get ideas about how to get youth involved.

“We thought she’d be able to brainstorm with other teenagers. But it turned out there are no other programs like the Bluebirds. It’s cutting edge,” said Cernansky.

Leyba shared her story of hope and recovery with Idaho Congressmen and told them how important mental health services are in rural areas.

“We only got 15 minutes with each Congressman so I had to learn to be concise,” she said.

She came back with a “Wearing is Caring” NAMI scarf designed by Kenneth Cole, who has joined with NAMI and others to launch Stigmafree Company, an initiative to cultivating a company culture of caring around mental health.

Nearly 60 million Americans are affected by mental illness ranging from anxiety to depression. And many say the stigma accompanying it prevents them from seeking treatment.

“One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that you don’t ever tell someone, you know how they feel. Instead, you tell them, ‘It must be difficult for you going through this.’ NAMI has made me more aware of the need to be more compassionate. You never know what someone is going through,” she said.

Lebya is taking a psychology course this semester, in addition to language, accounting and construction classes.

“I like helping people, hearing the stories and challenges they’ve faced. My counselor says I’d be a good teacher or psychologist because I’m compassionate and open.”

Leyba is vying for The Congressional Award, given young Americans who dedicate themselves to community service. She’s already been honored by the Idaho Department of Welfare for facilitating the Bluebirds.

“Amber is doing such a tremendous job working within our community,” said Blaine County Commission Chairwoman Angenie McCleary. “I am so proud that a young woman her age is so driven towards fighting stigma in the Wood River Valley.”

“She goes above and beyond the call of duty,” added Bellevue Mayor Chris Koch. “The world would be a better place with more young people like her.”