Similar to ‘First Aid’ and ‘CPR,’ ‘Mental Health First Aid’ is designed to arm the public with skills to help individuals who are developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis.
Presented by the Alaska Training Cooperative, Mental Health First Aid is a non-clinical, public education experience offered as an interactive 8-hour certification course that presents an overview of mental illness and substance use issues in the U.S.
The course addresses the fear and stigma associated with mental illness and introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, builds understanding of their impact and overviews common treatments.
Those who take the course to certify as Mental Health First Aiders learn a five-step action plan encompassing the skills, resources and knowledge to help an individual in crisis connect with appropriate professional, peer, social and self-help care.
The training will be held in May in Juneau and Anchorage:
• Juneau, May 17 at UAS Campus Egan Room 220 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Anchorage, May 24 at BP Energy Center from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost is $75. Participants must attend entire training in order to become certified in
Mental Health First Aid. Certifications are for three years. Nursing CEU credits are available.
Register online at http://ttclms.org/. Click the “Behavioral Health/Mental Illness” tab on the left. For more information contact Jill Ramsey at (907) 264-6228 or jill@alaskachd.org.
