Mental Health First Aid Certification Training

Mental Health First Aid takes the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations about mental health and substance use problems by improving, understanding, and providing an action plan that teaches people to safely and responsibly identify and address a potential mental illness or substance use disorder.

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. Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) is designed to teach parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, health and human services workers and other caring citizens how to help an adolescent (age 12–18) who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or is in crisis. Youth Mental Health First Aid is primarily designed for adults who regularly interact with young people.

Each of these 6-hour certification sessions cover the common signs and symptoms of mental health challenges and common signs and symptoms of substance use challenges; how to interact with a person in crisis; and how to connect a person with help and expanded content on trauma, substance use and self-care. The YMHFA also covers topics of anxiety, depression and substance use disorders in which psychosis may occur, disruptive behavior disorders (including AD/HD) and eating disorders.

DCBC would also like to partner with your congregation to bring MHFA and/or YMHFA to your church or community. For more information about hosting or attending a course, please email us at communications@dcbaptist.org.

MHFA is offered at various times — please reach out to DCBC’s Mental Health and Wellness Coordinator, Jevon Billups (jevon.billups@dcbaptist.org).