Caring Contact, a crisis hotline that serves Northern and Central New Jersey, will be offering Mental Health First Aid Training in Westfield May 15 and May 22. Attendees will learn the risk factors, warning signs and symptoms for a range of mental health problems and what to do when they encounter a person in mental health crisis.
The training is ideal for first responders, educators, clergy, leaders of community groups and business professionals as well as for families with loved ones suffering from mental illness or mental health issues.
The eight-hour course is being offered in two four-hour sessions, Tuesday, May 15 and Tuesday, May 22 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church of Westfield located at 140 Mountain Avenue.
Sign Up for E-News
The value for the course is $150. Caring Contact is offering the training for just $75. To learn more or register, visit http://caringcontact.org/training-registration/ or call 908-301-1899.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in four Americans experience some form of diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. Mental illnesses include depression, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress syndrome, schizophrenia and substance abuse addictions.
“Too often we think mental illness applies only to those with serious issues, for example someone who is exhibiting easily recognizable symptoms or someone under a physician’s care,” said Janet Sarkos, Caring Contact executive director. “But people experiencing mental health issues are all around us, perhaps among our friends and neighbors, co-workers, classmates or even within our own family. Yet too many of us are not trained to recognize the signs and offer help. This training enables you to do that.”
Mental Health First Aid is listed on the National Suicide Prevention Registry of Evidence-Based Programs. Successful completion of the course includes a three-year Mental Health First Aid Certification.
Caring Contact is an award-winning, volunteer-staffed crisis hotline and listening community serving North and Central New Jersey, an area with 3 million inhabitants in Union, Essex, Middlesex, Morris and Somerset counties. More than 100 listeners attentively and compassionately serve those in emotional distress and educate communities about the power of personal connection. Caring Contact responded to more than 10,200 calls in 2017.
Caring Contact is a member agency of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline network and its hotline services are available to anyone, anonymously and confidentially.
About Caring Contact
Caring Contact is an award-winning, volunteer-staffed caring and crisis hotline providing active listening support and best-in-class education to the Central and Northern New Jersey community. We attentively and compassionately serve those in emotional distress and educate our communities about the power of personal connection. We are affiliated with CONTACT USA, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and the American Association of Suicidology. If you are in crisis and need someone to listen, call us at 908-232-2880.To learn more, visit www.caringcontact.org.