Mental Health First Aid Training

 

The Office of Well-being & Health Promotion in partnership with Kitsap Mental Health Services is proud to offer FREE Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Courses for Olympic College Faculty, Staff and Students each quarter. 

 

To receive the certification, you will need to complete the pre-work AND attend the entire day of the course. Please consider this workload before signing up. If you have taken the course before, your certification is good for 3 years.   

 

 

 

 

What is Mental Health First Aid? What will I learn? MHFA is skills-based training that teaches people how to identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of a mental health or substance use challenge. Similar to physical First Aid and CPR, MHFA helps you assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis until professional assistance is obtained or the crisis is resolved. Mental Health First Aiders learn a 5-step Action Plan to recognize warning signs of a mental health or substance use challenge, provide help in crisis and non-crisis situations, and understand where to turn for additional assistance. 

 

How do we know MHFA is effective? Many people know to call 911 or administer CPR for a physical health emergency but hesitate to start conversations about mental health and substance use. MHFA provides the tools a layperson needs to take action. Studies show that MHFA training reduces stigma, improves knowledge and increases first aid actions toward people experiencing mental health and substance use challenges. 

 

 

 

For more information regarding these workshops, please email @email and someone will be in touch!