Intended Participants: Middle and High School Health/PE Teachers and Coaches
Youth Mental Health First Aid is an 8-hour training designed to teach teachers and school staff how to help an adolescent (age 12-18) who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge, or is in crisis. Youth Mental Health First Aid is primarily designed for adults who regularly interact with young people. This course will focus on instructional strategies for secondary Health/PE teachers to introduce to their students the common mental health challenges for youth, including typical adolescent development, and teaches a 5-step action plan for how teachers can help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations. Topics covered include anxiety, depression, substance use, disorders in which psychosis may occur, disruptive behavior disorders (including AD/HD), and eating disorders. Successful completion of both parts of this course satisfies the VDOE mental health training recertification requirement for school counselors.
