Learn how to respond when mental health aid is needed

Mental health and substance use issues are common. Nearly one in five U.S. adults lives with a mental illness according to the National Institute of Mental Health. From 1999 to 2016, 630,000 people died from drug overdose according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Give someone in your community a hand by learning how to recognize and respond when someone might need help with a free Mental Health First Aid workshop offered by University of Illinois Extension and the North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center.

Mental Health First Aid is a skills-based program, where participants learn and practice a five-step action plan to identify common signs and symptoms of someone coping with mental health or substance use problems and how to help. Gain skills to feel confident interacting with a person in crisis and leave with resources to connect the person with appropriate care. Topics also include trauma, addiction, and self-care.

This training is open to the public and is appropriate for anyone in the agricultural or a rural community. Participants will build skills by practicing with real-world, agriculturally based scenarios.

Register for free online at go.illinois.edu/mentalhealth2022. Participants will complete a two-hour self-paced online training before joining the instructor for a live webinar 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 21. Register by July 7. For more information, contact Cheri Burcham at [email protected] or (217) 543-3755.