Shrewsbury – Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services will hold a Youth Mental Health First Aid course in January and February. This free, eight-hour course is for caring adults who want to help youth (ages 12-18) who may be in crisis or experiencing a mental health challenge. It teaches participants the risk factors and warning signs of a variety of mental health challenges common among adolescents, including anxiety, depression, psychosis, eating disorders, AD/HD, disruptive behavior disorders, and substance use disorder. Participants do not learn to diagnose, nor how to provide any therapy or counseling – rather, participants learn to identify and support a youth developing signs and symptoms of a mental illness or in an emotional crisis by applying a core five-step action plan.
Three sessions will be held on the following dates: Wednesdays, Jan. 25, Feb. 1 and Feb. 8, from 7-9:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, 19 Church Road, Shrewsbury; Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 10 and 11, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 53 N. Main St., Grafton; and Mondays, Jan. 12 and 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Bernadette School Pastoral Center, 266 Main St., Northborough.
Register at www.syfs-ma.org or contact Christine Mowry at [email protected].
