On 9/19-9/20, Questar III BOCES will offer Youth Mental Health First Aid training. This groundbreaking eight-hour training course gives adults working with young people the tools to identify when a student might be struggling with a mental health or substance use problem and to connect them with appropriate support and resources when necessary.
One in five Americans has a mental illness, but many are reluctant to seek help or might not know where to turn for care. Unlike physical conditions, symptoms of mental health and substance use problems can be difficult to detect. For friends and family members, it can be hard to know when and how to step in. As a result, those in need of mental health services often do not get them until it is too late.
Just as CPR helps even those without clinical training assist an individual having a heart attack, Youth Mental Health First Aid prepares participants to interact with a student experiencing a mental health crisis. Youth Mental Health First Aiders learn a 5-step action plan that guides them through the process of reaching out and offering appropriate support.
Participants will learn to:
• Assess for risk of suicide or harm
• Listen nonjudgmentally
• Give reassurance and information
• Encourage appropriate professional help
• Encourage self-help and other support strategies
“Through this program, we hope to take the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations about mental health and substance use problems,” says Linda Rosenberg President and CEO of the National Council for Behavioral Health, which helped bring Mental Health First Aid to the U.S. in 2008. “When more people are equipped with the tools they need to start a dialogue, more people can get the help they may need.”
In just ten years, Mental Health First Aid has become a full-blown movement in the United States—more than 1 million people are certified Mental Health First Aiders, and that number is growing every day.
For more information or to participate in a Youth Mental Health First Aid training at Questar III visit the registration links below or contact Christine Willmart. All participants must complete both a session 1 and session 2 to receive certification. The sessions may be attended during full day 1 or split between day 1 and day 2.
Registration Links:
To learn more about Youth Mental Health First Aid USA, visit https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/.
The National Council for Behavioral Health was instrumental in bringing Mental Health First Aid to the USA and more than 1 million individuals have been trained.
