HOUSTON – March 26, 2018 – The Spring Independent School District is offering parents and community members the opportunity to register for Youth Mental Health First Aid Training on five separate dates: March 29, April 26, May 23, June 21 and July 24.
This groundbreaking, eight-hour training course gives people the tools to identify when a young person might be struggling with a mental health or substance use problem and to connect them with appropriate support and resources when necessary. Read more about Youth Mental Health First Aid Training.
“This is a phenomenal training that is well-worth the 8-hour time commitment,” said Denise Zimmerman, Spring ISD director of guidance and counseling. “We feel fortunate to be able to offer these courses to our community.”
According to Mental Health First Aid USA, 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 young 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.
“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 10 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 and to register to participate in one of the Youth Mental Health First Aid training courses in Spring ISD, contact Jennifer Ontiveros at jchapa@springisd.org or call 281-891-6383. Enrollment is limited to 30 participants per session, so register today.
To learn more about Mental Health First Aid USA, visit www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org.