Youth Mental Health First Aid Training Offered

Camp Beech Cliff, Healthy Acadia, and Outdoor Educator & Wilderness Guide Kareem Dieng are teaming up to offer a series of blended trainings in Youth Mental Health First Aid.

Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among children and adolescents ages 6-18. Areas of focus will include:

  • Common signs and symptoms of mental health challenges in this age group, including anxiety, depression, eating disorders and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD)

  • 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.

Youth Mental Health First Aid is designed to teach concerned adults the signs and symptoms of mental health and substance misuse issues in young people.

Training in Youth Mental Health First Aid does not teach you to diagnose or treat mental health or substance use issues, but to use the 5 Step ALGEE* action plan to approach and assess, listen non-judgmentally, offer reassurance and information, encourage appropriate professional help, self-help, and other support strategies.

WHO SHOULD KNOW MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID?

Teachers, school staff, coaches, camp counselors, youth group leaders, parents, and adults who work with youth.

Youth Mental health First Aid training has two main components:

  1. Approximately two hours of self-paced work done online that must be completed before you undertake the instructor led component of the training.

  2. An Instructor-led component that will happen either in-person, or virtually, depending upon which course option you select.

Certification in contingent upon successful completion of both the self-paced pre-course work, and the instructor led training, as well as presence and participation.

Four courses being offered this winter:

In-Person Trainings*:

  • Wednesday, January 19, 2022, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

  • Saturday, January 22, 2022, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

*All in-person trainings will take place at Camp Beech Cliff, 264 Beech Hill Rd. Mount Desert, ME 04660.  In-person trainings will also have lunch and child care-provided. 

Virtual Trainings:

  1. Tuesday, February 15 & Wednesday, February 16, 2022, 5 to 8 p.m. (Note: This is a two-night course, and both sessions must be attended)

  2. Wednesday, March 9, 2022, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

To register for a course visit https://www.campbeechcliff.org/ymhfa

Within two days of submitting your registration form you will receive an email inviting you to the Mental Health First Aid Connect platform. You must accept this invitation and set up a profile for yourself on MHFA Connect in order to undertake your training. If you do not receive this email, please reach out to Matt Cornish – matt@campbeechcliff.org and let him know, and he will help you to resolve the issue.

POSTTracey CarlsonCE, SPR, SB