In response to our nation’s mental health crisis, Kutztown STRONG will bring their second offering of Youth Mental Health First Aid training to Kutztown on March 29, 2025. This groundbreaking skills-based course gives people the tools to identify, understand, and respond to a young person who might be struggling with a mental health or substance use challenge — and connect them with appropriate support and resources when necessary.
One in five Americans has a mental illness, and the pandemic has dramatically increased depression and anxiety, but many are reluctant to seek help or don’t know where to turn for care. Unlike physical conditions, symptoms of mental health and substance use problems can be difficult to detect. Friends and family members may find it hard to know when and how to step in. As a result, those in need of mental health services often do not receive care until it is too late.
Just as CPR helps even those without clinical training assist an individual having a heart attack, Youth Mental Health First Aid prepares participants to interact with a young person experiencing a mental health crisis. Youth Mental Health First Aiders learn a 5-step Action Plan that guides them through the process of reaching out and offering appropriate support.
“Never has it been more important for our communities to talk about mental health and substance use,” says Chuck Ingoglia, president and CEO of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, which helped bring Mental Health First Aid to the U.S. in 2008. “This program is breaking down barriers and stigma so that together we can learn how to better support one another. Without mental health, there is no health.”
In just 12 years, Mental Health First Aid has become a full-blown movement in the United States — more than 2.5 million people are certified Mental Health First Aiders, and that number is growing every day.
The mission and purpose of Kutztown STRONG is to Strengthen The Resolve Of the Next Generation to make healthy, informed decisions, envisioning such healthy behaviors will create STRONG communities.
“In my years working with young people, I’ve learned that mental health crises rarely announce themselves with convenient timing or clear warning signs. When a youth is struggling, they often turn to the trusted adults already in their lives, teachers, coaches, parents, and not to a mental health professional they’ve never met. Being equipped with Youth Mental Health First Aid skills isn’t just valuable; it’s essential”
said Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor and Berks Area school counselor Christopher Bard.
“Just as we wouldn’t think twice about learning CPR to save a life in physical danger, we must be prepared to recognize and respond when a young person’s mental well-being is at risk. These skills don’t make us therapists, but they do make us capable responders in those critical moments when a compassionate, informed response can be the difference between a young person continuing to suffer in silence or finding their path to support and healing” he said.
For more information or to participate in a Youth Mental Health First Aid training in Berks County, contact Christopher Bard at Bard.YouthMHFA.Instructor@outlook.com or speak with a Kutztown STRONG member.
