Crisis Services
ASERT does not offer crisis services through our Resource Center. If you or someone you love is experiencing mental health distress or thoughts of suicide please call or text 988 for support.
Mental Health First Aid Course
Overview
Mental Health First Aid is an 8 hour educational program in use throughout the country to teach people how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders. The training gives you the skills you need to reach out and offer initial help and support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem or experiencing a crisis.
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP), along with the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS), is pleased to announce the availability of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) instruction. Mental Health First Aid is being offered as part of the Collaborative Capacity Building Initiative funded through Money Follows the Person (MFP). MFP is the largest single financial investment in home and community based long-term living services ever offered by the Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). MFP is designed to allow individuals residing in certain institutional settings to transition to and receive services in a community-based setting.
Just like training in regular first aid, Mental Health First Aid does not teach you to be the professional, the therapist, or the counselor. Mental Health First Aid takes the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations about mental health and substance use problems by improving understanding and teaching people to safely and responsibly identify and address a potential mental illness or substance use disorder. When more people are equipped with the tools they need to start a dialogue, more people can get the help they need.
Through this ODP/OMHSAS initiative, Mental Health First Aid classes are being offered twice a month at varying locations throughout the state as coordinated by the Instructor, Jen Bankard. There is no fee to attend. You must register for a MyODP account to register for this course. Visit MyODP at www.myodp.org.