Boston Children's Hospital Neighborhood Partnerships | Break Free from Depression Program

Break Free from Depression (BFFD) is a four-module curriculum focused on increasing awareness about adolescent depression and is designed for use in high school classrooms. The goals are to increase adolescents' awareness about depression, teach them how to recognize it in themselves and in their friends, and give them strategies for finding help. This curriculum is now available online (links are below). Included in the materials are step-by-step directions, handouts, resources, and presentations for the student curriculum, parent workshop, and staff development workshop.

Break Free from Depression features a compelling documentary (see trailer above) that focuses on a diverse group of adolescents talking about their struggles with depression and suicide. The individuals in the documentary are not actors. Through their own words, the youth in the documentary tell us about their symptoms and how their lives were impacted. The adolescents not only share their distress, but also ways they found help and relief, and the skills they have learned to manage depression.

Break Free from Depression, in partnership with OPENPediatrics, has developed a train-the-trainer workshop and materials to share with educators and school communities nationally.

This online training includes the complete curriculum and materials needed. After viewing the videos and completing the post survey, you will have access to all online materials so you can implement the Break Free from Depression curriculum in your school or community program.

To access this free online training, you will be prompted to register for OPENPediatrics and asked to complete a brief registration form before accessing the curriculum.

If you would like more information about the Break Free from Depression train-the-trainer video series, please contact us.