LAH0017 - Mental Health First Aid
Course Description
Learn how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. This course equips you with the skills to provide initial support to someone who may be experiencing distress or developing a mental health or substance use problem and connect them to appropriate care.
Ideal for employers, police officers, hospital staff, first responders, faith leaders, educators, community members, and other caring individuals. The program is taught by a certified Mental Health First Aid instructor.
Course Outline
- Recognizing signs and symptoms of mental illness
- Recognizing signs and symptoms of substance use
- How to interact with a person in distress
- How to connect individuals with appropriate help
- Expanded content on trauma, addiction, and self-care
- Introduction and application of the ALGEE Action Plan
Learner Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:- Define and recognize signs of mental health and substance use challenges.
- Demonstrate the ALGEE action plan to support individuals in both crisis and non-crisis situations.
Assess for risk of suicide or harm
Listen non-judgmentally
Give reassurance and information
Encourage professional help
Encourage self-help strategies
- Identify appropriate professional, peer, and self-help resources available in the community.
- Apply skills in realistic role-playing scenarios with empathy and confidence.
- Promote recovery and self-care strategies for individuals experiencing mental health challenges.
Notes
Participants must complete a 2-hour, self-paced online module before attending the in-person training session.
Testimonial
"As someone who has struggled with mental health in the past (and sometimes still does) and has many friends and family who have struggled, this was a great training with applicable, life-altering skills. The instructor, Alessandra McNamara, did an excellent job breaking down the signs of mental health challenges and how to respond to those situations. Mental Health First Aid is an extremely valuable training, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wishes to learn how to identify and help those who struggle with mental health." -Amanda S.
Credential
Earn a Mental Health First Aider certificate that is valid for 3 years.
Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
This course qualifies for 7.5 Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Participants must complete all online and in-person components to be eligible for CEU certification.
Scholarship Opportunity
This training is part of a scholarship program through the Strengthening Workforce Skills program, funded by the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB)'s Noncredit Strategies at Work grant.
Apply here and if you are eligible for the scholarship, you will receive an email notification within 5 business days. Funding is limited.
Alessandra McNamara is a nursing faculty member at Harper College and a certified psychiatric-mental health nurse with broad experience across inpatient and outpatient mental health settings. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) certification from Rush University in 2017, after completing her bachelor’s in biology with a minor in psychology at Illinois College. Alessandra teaches in both the RN and LPN programs at Harper, where she emphasizes mental health awareness, compassionate care, and holistic well-being.