Free Youth Mental Health First Aid Training Slated for Oct. 7

AMHERST — A free youth Mental Health First Aid training will be held on Friday, Oct. 7 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst, 121 North Pleasant St., Amherst. The training will be facilitated by certified instructors through Clinical & Support Options and its Center for Professional and Community Education training institute.

Registration is required. To register, e-mail frickedre@gmail.com for registration information.

Youth Mental Health First Aid 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 addiction challenge or is in crisis. Youth Mental Health First Aid is primarily designed for adults who regularly interact with young people.

The course introduces common mental-health challenges for youth, reviews typical adolescent development, and teaches a five-step action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations. Topics covered include anxiety, depression, substance use, disorders in which psychosis may occur, disruptive-behavior disorders (including ADHD), and eating disorders.