Washington County will offer Youth Mental HealthFirst Aid training in the Meeting Room of the Washington County Government Building. This groundbreaking eight-hour training course gives people the tools to identify when someone is struggling with a mental health or substance use problem, and to connect them with appropriate support and resources when necessary.
The Mental Health First Aid program is open to any adult.
One in five Americans has a mental health condition, but many are reluctant to seek help or may not know where to turn for care. Unlike physical conditions, mental health and substance use issues 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 those without clinical training assist an individual having a heart attack,
Mental Health First Aid prepares participants to interact with a person experiencing a mental health crisis. Mental Health First Aiders learn a 5-step action plan that guides them through the process of reaching out and offering appropriate support until professional help is available.
“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 grows every day.
Further information regarding Purdue Extension’s delivery of Mental Health First Aid courses, Continuing Education information, featured stories related to the course, and registration links for upcoming courses can all be found at: www.extension.purdue.edu/mhfa.
To register for this course in Washington County, please visit http://www.cvent.com/d/mhqpxc, email mcbrough@purdue.edu, or call 812-883-4601. The cost of the course is $20 per person and includes the workbook and lunch. Please enroll by February 11 th.
Advance sign-up is required.
To learn more about Mental Health First Aid USA, visit www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org.
