We are excited to partner with St. Paul United Church of Christ to offer Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) on August 16th & 23rd from 5:30pm to 8pm! This free course is designed to teach parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, etc. how to help adolescents (ages 12-18) who are experiencing mental health or addiction challenges.

The course introduces common mental health challenges for youth, reviews typical adolescent development and teaches a five-step action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations. The course features a 2 hour online self-paced course and 5 hours of instructor led training. The course covers many topics, including:

•  Common signs and symptoms of mental health challenges in this age group.
•  Common signs and symptoms of substance use challenges.
• How to interact with a child or adolescent in crisis.
• How to connect the youth with help.
• Expanded content on trauma, substance use, self-care and the impact of social media and bullying.

This training is open to anyone in the St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea service area including: Chelsea, Dexter, Grass Lake, Manchester, and Stockbridge, and all the towns in between. The class includes a participant processing guide, YMHFA manual, and resource list.

Participants are required to complete pre-work prior to the in person sessions, and must attend both of the in-person instructor led sessions on August 16th & 23rd to become a certified youth mental health first aider.

Class size is limited to 25 participants, and registration is required. CLICK HERE to register on our site!