How COMET has helped Northeastern Colorado's mental health

It’s not often that The New York Times visits eastern Colorado. However, a few months ago, it happened. Journalists were interested in learning what communities around the country are doing to address mental and emotional health. They stumbled upon the COMET Program. COMET, Changing our Mental and Emotional Trajectory, was developed by people living in eastern Colorado for rural community members. The program offers a conversational guide to talk with others when you are concerned about someone else’s mental and emotional well-being – before a crisis. The New York Times shared with the world the compassion, creativity and resourcefulness of the people living in this region.

COMET was created by the High Plains Research Network Community Advisory Council — a grass-roots group of ranchers, farmers, teachers, business managers, students and retirees from eastern Colorado. Years ago, the C.A.C. wanted to figure out a way to support other’s mental health needs — before a situation becomes a crisis. The C.A.C. learned through a process of storytelling and analysis, called Appreciative Inquiry, that the pivotal event that helped a person facing a mental health challenge was often the act of someone else stepping in to make an observation, really ask how a person was doing, and listen. We call this being the other person.

COMET offers a 90-minute training in using a conversational guide. The program recognizes rural values of neighbor helping neighbor. It gives people permission to ask some harder questions and lowers the fears of asking tough mental health related questions. COMET does not ask community members to be the fix but encourages all of us to remember the importance of being the other person. The training includes how to exit those conversations in a supportive way. Over 600 people in Colorado and around the country who wanted to feel more confident to reach out have been trained, including business owners, agricultural community members, educators, bank lenders, allied health professionals and students.

The New York Times journalists spent four brief days in eastern Colorado. They learned about the profound stress devastating many of our farming and ranching businesses, families and communities. They found COMET to be another way of inventing friendship. The many people who shared their stories showed them the desire rural community members have to help each other. To be willing to sometimes step outside of their comfort zones and ask another person, “How are you? No, really, how are you?” and make a difference in that person’s life.

If you want more information about the COMET Program, email [email protected]. The link to the New York Times article can be found at https://medschool.cuanschutz.edu/family-medicine/about/news/communication-hub/new-york-times-on-the-high-plains.

A COMET Community Training is being offered in Haxtun on Thursday, April 20 at 9 a.m. at The Brethren Meeting House (137 N. Logan). This 90-minute training is free and open to anyone interested. Attendees will learn the COMET conversational guide — a natural way to talk a friend, neighbor or acquaintance about difficult topics.