Health Department seeks Youth Mental Health First Aid instructors

WAUKEGAN – The Lake County Health Department is seeking people to become Youth Mental Health First Aid USA instructors and help fight the stigma surrounding mental health.

Approved applicants must attend the three-day instructor training Nov. 2-4 at the Lake County Health Department, 3010 Grand Ave., Waukegan.

“In the United States, approximately half the people who had a mental disorder in the past year received professional health care or other services,” said Dominic Caputa, associate director of behavioral health. “We need people representing every facet of our community to be trained in Youth and Adult Mental Health First Aid so they can help those who are experiencing a mental health crisis.”

Approved instructors learn how to teach the Youth Mental Health First Aid course, including the five-step action plan, evidence-supported treatment and self-help strategies. Instructor training normally costs $2,000 a person but is being offered for free to qualified applicants. In exchange, individuals who take the course agree to teach a minimum of three Youth Mental Health First Aid classes in the year following the training to Lake County Health Department approved groups.

To learn more and apply, visit www.mentalhealth.today/instructor or email info@mentalhealth.today. Applications are due Aug. 31.

To be considered for certification, candidates must possess empathy toward individuals with behavioral health challenges and should have enthusiasm to reduce stigma associated with mental illness. Applicants also should have a general knowledge of mental health and substance use issues, experience teaching groups of youth, understanding of best practices in youth learning and experience facilitating groups.

In 2021, the Lake County Health Department received a five-year grant extension from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help expand and improve Lake County’s Mental Health First Aid training initiatives. Through the grant, the health department is training 80 individuals to become instructors. In turn, those individuals will train 1,440 community members.