This training is open to participants from the state of Oklahoma. Interested participants from the state of Oklahoma should contact Kodi Pollard at the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODHMSAS) at [email protected]

Mental Health First Aid is a public education program that introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, builds an understanding of their impact and overviews appropriate supports. This 89-hour course uses role-playing and simulations to demonstrate how to offer initial help in a mental health crisis and connect people to the appropriate professional, peer, social and self-help care. The program also teaches common risk factors and warning signs of specific illnesses like anxiety, depression, substance use, bipolar disorder, eating disorders and schizophrenia.

National Trainers will guide Mental Health First Aid candidates through three-days of training with an emphasis on coaching and preparing candidates to be ambassadors for Mental Health First Aid. Courses typically run 8:30-4:30 each day, with dedicated time on days three and four for independent preparation for presentations delivered on day five. On the fifth day of the training, each instructor candidate will present and teach an assigned portion of the eight-hour course to the group. The National Trainers will conduct an individual evaluation of each candidate, and each candidate will provide a peer review for their colleagues.