Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions (EASE)

EASE NYC: A New Path to Youth Mental Health Support

In 2025, The Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health celebrated the first-ever U.S. adaptation of the World Health Organization’s Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions (EASE) program, in response to New York City’s youth mental health crisis and the shortage of licensed clinicians in the public sector. 

Co-developed by OCMH with Brooklyn-based youth, families, and community organizations—together with the Department of Youth and Community Development and the New School Center for Global Mental Health—EASE NYC equips trusted, non-clinical staff such as team leaders and activity specialists with tools to facilitate mental health skill-building groups with youth and caregivers. These staff, often the first adults young people turn to, help guide youth ages 10-16 through a critical stage of emotional development and resilience building, while also providing support to their families. 

The first of its kind in the United States, EASE NYC is helping young people manage stress, anxiety, and depression while strengthening community-rooted pathways to care. As a cost-effective and scalable approach, EASE NYC is laying the foundation for a healthier, more emotionally supported future for all New York City youth.