WHITELAND, Ind. – In response to our nation’s mental health crisis, Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation (CPCSC) is bringing Youth Mental Health First Aid training to family and community members this Saturday. Due to the demand, this course is full but if you are interested in attending you can be put on the waitlist.
This groundbreaking skills-based course gives people the tools to identify, understand, and respond to a young person (ages 12-18) who might be struggling with a mental health or substance use challenge — and connect them with appropriate support and resources when necessary.
One in five Americans has a mental illness, but 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 not 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 how to reach out and offer appropriate support.
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.
CPCSC is one of just four school districts in Indiana selected for the Project AWARE Grant as part of the third statewide cohort. One of Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation’s key initiatives through the grant is offering Mental Health First Aid training.
As CPCSC begins its third year of the Project AWARE Grant, over 200 individuals across the school corporation and community have been trained as Youth Mental Health First Aiders thanks to the grant.
For more information about Mental Health First Aid training call Wellness Coordinator Erica Garrity at 317-530-4016 or email egarrity@cpcsc.k12.in.us.
