Youth Mental Health First Aid Training

Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) teaches a five-step action plan to offer initial help to young people showing signs of a mental illness or who are in a crisis, and connect them with the appropriate professional, peer, social, or self-help care. The course is ideally designed for adults who work with young people, ages 12-18, teachers, coaches, leaders of faith communities, social workers, and other caring citizens.

There are 3 ways to attend a YMHFA training:

• 8-hour face-to-face course
• 6-hour live Zoom course with 2-hour home study
• Blended course with half of the training via Zoom and half as a face-to-face course

Signs of Suicide Prevention Program

The Signs of Suicide (SOS) Prevention Program was developed to decrease the incidence of suicide among adolescents. It will instill knowledge and an adaptive attitude about depression to its participants. The SOS program is designed in a way that encourages help--seeking for oneself or on behalf of a friend. The program is designed to reduce some of the stigmas associated with mental health and leads to engagement among parents and school faculty to become partners in prevention.

Trainings Offered

• Trusted Adults – Parents, faculty and staff, and community members. This is typically a 1-2 hour course.
• Implementation Training – Equipping an individual or team with an action plan, guidelines, and the necessary knowledge to implement SOS programs in schools. This is typically a 2-4 hour course.

The SOS Program Key Message is ACT

Acknowledge that you are seeing signs of depression or suicide in a friend and that it is serious.
Care - Let your friend know that you care about them and you are concerned that he/she needs help you cannot provide.
Tell a trusted adult that you are worried about your friend.

Please contact the Southeast Prevention Resource Center for more information, questions, or to request a training at (573) 651-5081 or (573) 986-4955.