In response to our nation’s mental health crisis, as well as the need for mental health resources in the Riverbend region, OSF Saint Anthony’s Health Center – Psychological Services will offer FREE mental health first aid training to interested individuals.
This groundbreaking skills-based training session will give participants the tools to identify, understand and respond to someone who might be struggling with a mental health or substance use challenge — and connect them with appropriate support and resources when necessary.
The Mental Health First Aid training course will be held on Friday, July 25, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., at in the 3rd floor Psychological Services Group Training Room at OSF Saint Anthony’s Health Center (1 St. Anthony’s Way, Alton, IL, 62202). Lunch will be provided during this all-day training course.
Space is limited for this FREE training session and registration is required – online registration can be completed by visiting www.eventbrite.com/e/mental-health-first-aid-in-person-training-certification-tickets-1447583494199?aff=oddtdtcreator.
Thanks to a generous donation from OSF Saint Anthony’s Health Center Foundation, learners may attend at no charge (course is valued at $170).
“Mental health first aid (MHFA) teaches an individual how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among adults,” says Staci M. Knox, LCSW, manager, Psychological Services, OSF Saint Anthony’s. “This training isn’t just for health care professionals and first responders; anyone can benefit from this training and become a mental resource within the Riverbend region and beyond.”
The course will teach participants how to apply the MHFA action plan:
- Assess for risk of suicide or harm
- Listen non-judgmentally
- Give reassurance and information
- Encourage appropriate professional help
- Encourage self-help and other support strategies
One in five Americans has a mental illness, an average of 130 people die by suicide every day, and from 1999-2019, 841,000 people died from drug overdoses.
Many are reluctant to seek help or don’t know where to turn for care. Unlike physical conditions, symptoms of mental health and substance use problems can be difficult to detect. Friends and family members may find it hard to know when and how to step in. As a result, those in need of mental health services often do not receive care until it is too late.
Just as CPR helps even those without clinical training assist an individual having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid prepares participants to interact with a 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.
“Never has it been more important for our communities to talk about mental health and substance use,” says Chuck Ingoglia, president and CEO of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, which helped bring Mental Health First Aid to the U.S. in 2008. “This program is breaking down barriers and stigma so that together we can learn how to better support one another. Without mental health, there is no health.”
In just 12 years, Mental Health First Aid has become a full-blown movement in the United States — more than 2.5 million people are certified Mental Health First Aiders, and that number is growing every day.
For more information on how to participate in a Mental Health First Aid training at OSF Saint Anthony’s Health Center, contact OSF Saint Anthony’s Psychological Services at 618-474-6240 or email staci.m.knox@osfhealthcare.org.