L+M Hospital to offer youth mental health first aid certification training

New London, CT – April 6, 2017 – Lawrence + Memorial Hospital will offer a free, two-part certification training course on Youth Mental Health First Aid. The program will be held Saturday, April 29, and Saturday, May 6, from 8 am to 12:30 pm in Baker Auditorium at the main hospital campus.

Youth Mental Health First Aid is a mental health literacy program designed to teach adults a five-step action plan to offer initial help to young people facing mental health challenges or who are in crisis situations. In addition, the program is designed to connect youth with the appropriate professional, peer, social or self-care they need.

This free two-day course is designed for adults who work with youth ages 12 – 18, such as teachers, coaches, faith leaders, police officers, youth group leaders and parents. The interactive curriculum teaches participants the risk factors and warning signs of a variety of mental health challenges common among adolescents, including anxiety, depression, psychosis, eating disorders, disruptive behavior disorders and substance use issues. 

This course will be facilitated by Dr. Robert Harrison and Scott Mueller, assistant professor of social work at Rhode Island College.

The program is free and open to the public, but space is limited. To register, email Dr. Harrison at [email protected] or call 800-562-2537. 

Youth Mental Health First Aid is an evidence-based program coordinated by the National Council for Behavioral Health.

Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, a member of Yale New Haven Health, is a non-profit, 308-bed general and acute care hospital providing patient care to medical, surgical, pediatric, psychiatric and obstetrical patients in southeastern Connecticut and southern Rhode Island since 1912. Lawrence + Memorial offers cardiac acute, step-down and rehabilitation programs and is the only eastern Connecticut hospital that performs emergency and elective angioplasty. www.lmhospital.org