Are you in law enforcement, public safety, local business, and/or community based and need Mental Health First Aid Training?
Have you experienced a family member having a mental health crisis?
Can you benefit from FREE Mental Health First Aid Training at Chartiers Center?
Who should take a Mental Health First Aid course?
Mental Health First Aid is intended for all people and organizations. It is ideal for professionals who regularly interact with a lot of people (such as police officers, human resource directors and primary care workers), local businesses, faith communities, friends and family of individuals with mental illness or addiction, or anyone interested in learning more about mental illness and addiction.
What is Mental Health First Aid?
Mental Health First Aid is an 8-hour course designed for people with no clinical training who work/live in the community. The training gives people the skills to help someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. “With one in four Americans experiencing a mental health or addiction disorder each year, the National Council is committed to making this important training as common as CPR,” said Susan Blue, National Council board chair and president and CEO of Community Services Group.
What do people learn in a Mental Health First Aid course?
The goal of Mental Health First Aid training is to help support an individual until appropriate professional help arrives. Mental Health First Aiders learn a single 5-step strategy that includes assessing risk, respectfully listening to and supporting the individual in crisis, and identifying appropriate professional help and other supports.
What does it cost and how do I sign up?
Chartiers Center provides the training free of charge. The next MHFA training for adults will be on April 15th, Chartiers Center Board Room, 8:30am – 4:30pm. (Registration opens at 8am). Pre-Registration is required by Monday, April 11th and will include a continental breakfast and lunch. The trainers are Melissa Zirwas and Michelle Sloane. For more information, contact Mary Kay Bonn, (412) 221-3302 ext.118 or mbonn@chartierscenter.org. The training is funded by Allegheny County Health Initiative (ACHI). Click here for the registration form.
Register first come, first serve. After this session fills up we will begin a list for the next training.
About the Trainers
Melissa Zirwas, BA – Administrative Service Coordinator, Chartiers Center Melissa has over 20 years of experience in the field of social services with a focus in behavioral health. Besides being an experienced Administrative Service Coordinator working with both children and adults, Melissa has worked as a Family Based Mental Health Therapist, a Case Manager in the Foster Care System, combined with experience in residential treatment facilities. Melissa holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and is certified as an Adult Mental Health First Aid (AMHFA) trainer.
Michelle Sloane, MSW, Manager of Resource Center, Wesley Spectrum Michelle has over 20 years of experience in the field of social services with a focus on mental health. Besides working at Wesley Spectrum, she is an adjunct instructor at the University of Pittsburgh in the Master of Social Work Program where she is currently teaching Mental Health and Public Policy. Michelle has a range of experience from advocacy work to direct practice as well as training and education. She is certified as a Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) and an Adult Mental Health First Aid (AMHFA) trainer.
