Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) - Blended/In Person - Chicago

MHFA teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among adults.

Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to help someone who may be experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge. The training helps you identify, understand, and respond to signs of addictions and mental illnesses.

Just as CPR helps you assist an individual having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid helps you assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis. In the Mental Health First Aid course, you learn risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns, strategies for how to help someone in both crisis and non-crisis situations, and where to turn for help.

Mental Health First Aid teaches about recovery and resiliency – the belief that individuals experiencing these challenges can and do get better, and use their strengths to stay well.

Topics Covered:

• Depression and mood disorders
• Anxiety disorders
• Trauma
• Psychosis
• Panic attacks
• Suicidal thoughts or behaviors
• Nonsuicidal self-injury

Learning Objectives:

After attending this introductory level program, program participants will be able to:

1. Recognize the potential risk factors and warning signs for a range of mental health problems, including: depression, anxiety/trauma, psychosis and psychotic disorders, substance use disorders, and self-injury.
2. Use a 5-step action plan to help an individual in crisis connect with appropriate professional help.
3. Interpret the prevalence of various mental health disorders in the U.S. and the need for reduced negative attitudes in their communities.
4. Apply knowledge of the appropriate professional, peer, social, and self-help resources available to help someone with a mental health problem treat and manage the problem and achieve recovery.
5. Practice appropriate methods of self-care

Interventions Learned:

The opportunity to practice — through role plays, scenarios, and activities — makes it easier to apply these skills in a real-life situation. When you take the course, you learn how to apply the Mental Health First Aid action plan in a variety of situations, including when someone is experiencing:

• Acute psychosis (e.g., hallucinations or delusions)
• Overdose or withdrawal from alcohol or drug use
• Reaction to a traumatic event
• Substance Use Disorders

This is a blended webinar/in-person, Instructor led training. Participants must complete 100% of the online portion as well as the in-person training and complete the post class requirements in order to obtain a 3-year Mental Health First Aid Certificate.

Training Value = $175 per person. Program provided with funding from the Megan Butz Legacy of Hope. Your $10 fee helps offset lunch costs.

Should you have any questions, please contact the coordinator: Tracy Levine, tlevine@thechicagoschool.edu

Mental Health First Aid - National Council for Mental Well-Being