I am certified through the National Council on Mental Wellbeing as a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) instructor. I teach the adult course, along with the public safety, corrections, military and veterans, and higher education modules. I have brought this training to local community centers, libraries, Masonic lodges, police departments, classrooms, and churches.
Mental Health First Aid is a groundbreaking public education program that helps the public identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders.
Mental Health First Aid is now offered in the form of an interactive virtual course that presents an overview of mental illness and substance use disorders in the U.S. and introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, builds an understanding of their impact, and overviews common treatments. Those who take the course to certify as Mental Health First Aiders learn a 5-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 Mental Health First Aid USA course has benefited a variety of audiences and key professions, including: primary care professionals, employers and business leaders, faith communities, school personnel and educators, state police and corrections officers, nursing home staff, mental health authorities, state policymakers, volunteers, young people, families and the general public.
Mental Health First Aid for Public Safety is an actionable public safety training program that gives police officers a simple, effective way to intervene during any mental health crisis, from an immediate crisis that endangers the public or the officer to non-crisis situations, like approaching someone who is exhibiting symptoms of a mental illness or overdose. It equips every officer with the necessary skills to recognize the symptoms of mental illnesses and substance use, engage the person in crisis, de-escalate the incident and connect the person to needed care.
MHFA has been featured on NPR’s Morning Edition and Talk of the Nation, as well as other news and media outlets.
The virtual version of Adult MHFA involves a 2 hour self-paced online course, followed by a 4.5-5.5 hour instructor-led video conference. The fee is $50.
Future dates for virtual Adult MHFA: TBA. Please inquire if interested.
Check back for registration info. Registration is limited to 30 participants per class.
The public safety module is not offered online at this time. If you would like to bring the public safety MHFA course to your organization or community, please contact me via e-mail.
