Photo courtesy of Alison Stidham, CYD Professional Development Coordinator and Mental Health First Aid Instructor, participating in a training session.
The Youth Development Council offers free or low-cost mental health training to help participants identify and address mental health issues that others may have. An information session is scheduled for next week, and training is scheduled to begin in June.
These are known as Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training. MHFA is an international, evidence-based program that teaches you how to identify, understand, and respond to the signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use problems.
“Just as CPR can help someone who has had a heart attack, even by people without clinical training, mental health first aid can help people who are experiencing mental health or substance use challenges or crises. We prepare participants to do this,” said Alison Stidham, CYD Professional Development Coordinator and Mental Health First Aid Instructor.
According to CYD, one in five Americans experiences a mental health problem, and depression and anxiety have increased dramatically in recent years. Symptoms of mental health and substance use problems don’t always manifest in the same way as physical conditions and can be difficult to detect, experts say. Mental health first aid aims to shorten the time between the onset of signs and symptoms and receiving appropriate help.
The Youth Development Council offers three different Mental Health First Aid courses.
- Mental Health First Aid for Adults teaches you how to recognize the signs of mental health and substance use problems in adults 18 and older, how to suggest and provide initial help, and how to get the right care when needed. Teach people how to lead.
- Youth Mental Health First Aid (for adults who support youth) is designed primarily for adults who interact with youth on a regular basis. We teach you how to help youth experiencing or in crisis with mental health or addiction issues. This course introduces common mental health issues in youth, provides an overview of typical youth development, and teaches ways to support youth in both crisis and non-crisis situations.
- Teen Mental Health First Aid teaches high school students in grades 9-12 how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use problems among their friends and peers.
For those interested in learning more, a virtual information session will be held Thursday from 7pm to 8pm. You must register to receive the Zoom link. This link will be emailed to you prior to the event. More information and registration links can be found on the event page of his website at CYD or at cydbartholomew.org/new-events/mhfa-info-session.
The course, valued at $170, is free to anyone who lives, works or volunteers in Bartholomew County thanks to a grant. Out-of-state attendees will be charged a reduced rate of $23.95. All participants will receive a manual, participant processing guide, resource folder, and access to the MHFA online training platform during instructor-led training sessions.
Stidham completed training to facilitate youth mental health first aid in late 2022, adult mental health first aid in late 2023, and youth mental health first aid in early 2024.
Stidham, a Columbus native, said she faced her own mental health issues as a teenager and knows first-hand the impact these issues can have.
“I felt both shame and embarrassment about what I was feeling and experiencing, which led to isolation,” Stidham said. “I want to do everything I can to break down the stigma surrounding mental health challenges and normalize conversations about mental health. It helps a lot to know that you are not alone, both in the fact that there are people who care about you and who want to support you.”
CYD held its first Mental Health First Aid course in early 2023 and has since trained 139 Mental Health First Aiders in Bartholomew County.
The next training schedule is as follows.
- Youth Mental Health First Aid (for adults who support youth): June 25 and June 26, both days from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., at the Columbus Learning Center
- Mental Health First Aid for Adults: August 21, 8:30am – 3:30pm (1 hour lunch break included), Columbus Learning Center
