Youth Mental Health First Aid Training

When you see a youth struggling, do you ask yourself, “What can I do to identify if there really is a problem and how do I help until professional help can take over?” Then this course is for you.

Register Now for a Youth Mental Health First Aid training on Feb. 29 hosted by CTS and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

What: Youth Mental Health First Aid Training

When: February 29, 2024, 9 – 3:30 PM (Eastern)

Course Details: This training consists of 2 hours of self-paced online pre-course work (sent by instructor the week before the course) and an in-person instructor led training on February 29. Youth Mental Health First Aid is a national certification regulated by the National Council of Mental Wellbeing (NCMW) which is located in Washington, D.C. It is on the same level of certification as First Aid & Safety and CPR certifications. After completing the course, participants receive a national certification in Youth Mental Health First Aid.

In Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) classes, people get a better understanding of how to recognize and offer initial aid to someone who may be experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge. Attendees are shown how to ask if a person is distressed, and how to intervene on their behalf. This course is designed for lay leaders and community members.

Participants can choose to bring their lunch or purchase lunch from Cafe South at Christian Theological Seminary on the day of the training.

Why Youth Mental Health First Aid?

• 1 in 5 youth experience a mental disorder at any given time
• 50% of all mental illnesses begin before the age of 14
• 75% of all mental illnesses begin before the early-to mid-twenties
• More than 10% of youth will be diagnosed with a substance use disorder in their lifetime
• Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of US deaths of 12-to 20-year olds
• Nearly 20% of high school students admit to thinking about suicide
• More than 100,000 people died by opioid poisoning/overdose in 2021
• The pandemic has increased youth mental health issues

 The certification course is sponsored by NAMI-Indiana.