Youth mental health First Aid training scheduled

Youth Dynamics, Sidney Health Center and the Richland County Health Department are partnering to offer a Youth Mental Health First Aid training that is targeted for anyone who regularly interacts with children ages 11 and up.

The eight-hour training will be held over two days on Wednesday (today) and Thursday starting at 4 p.m. at the Community Services Building, located at 1201 W Holly Street in Sidney.

The certification is designed to teach people who interact with children how to recognize signs and symptoms of a mental health disorder and where and when to get help.

The course introduces common mental health challenges for youth, reviews typical adolescent development, and teaches a five-step action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations. Crisis situations that will be covered in the course include suicidal behaviors, panic attacks, and non-suicidal self-injury. This is a great training for anyone who works in the school system or works with kids through the faith community, after-school programs or extra-curricular activities.

For more information about the training, please contact Richard Evans, Sidney Health Center Chaplain at 406-488-2596 or Kristin Thompson, Youth Dynamics Community Education Coordinator at 406-869-1328 or kthomp@youthdynamics.org.