River Edge Behavioral Health is initiating the Youth Mental Health First Aid program in Bibb County. The program will train numerous educators, coaches and local law enforcement and other members of the public to improve youth mental health literacy – helping them identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness.

The training will take place on April 10, from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. in the Emery Assembly Room at the River Edge Behavioral Health Center, located at 175 Emery Highway. The cost is $50 to attend and receive 6.5 continuing education units and certification.

“We are thrilled to bring Mental Health First Aid to our community,” said Shannon Gordon, River Edge CEO.  “This important educational effort goes a lot further than emergency intervention; it really helps people understand the shroud of fear and misjudgment facing individuals and families who experience mental illnesses and addiction. It will help rid this community of the associated stigma and move more and more people toward recovery.”

Youth Mental Health First Aid is an eight-hour training certification course that teaches participants a five-step action plan to assess a situation, select and implement interventions and secure appropriate care for the individual. The certification program introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, builds understanding of their impact and overviews common treatments. 

Thorough evaluations in randomized controlled trials and a quantitative study have proved the CPR-like program effective in improving trainees’ knowledge of mental disorders, reducing stigma and increasing the amount of help provided to others.

“We welcome River Edge’s involvement and enthusiasm in the Youth Mental Health First Aid community,” said Linda Rosenberg, MSW, president and CEO of the National

Council for Behavioral Health, the organization who brought Mental Health First Aid to the United States in 2008. “We know they will have a great impact on the mental health communities throughout the Bibb County area and will be key players in improving mental health literacy nationwide.”

In its pilot year, the program was introduced in nearly 20 states and more than 40 communities nationwide. The National Council certified River Edge to provide the Mental Health First Aid program in 2011 through an instructor certification course in Atlanta. River Edge and all the sites across the nation that replicate this program maintain strict fidelity to the original, proven program.