Lake Co. Health Dept. Seeks Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructors

LAKE COUNTY, IL — The Lake County Health Department is seeking passionate people to become Youth Mental Health First Aid USA instructors and help fight the stigma surrounding mental health.

Approved applicants must attend a three-day instructor training held November 6 through November 8 at the Lake County Health Department, 3010 Grand Avenue, Waukegan.

"In the United States, only about half of people with a mental health condition in the past year received professional services,” said Lisa Williams, Associate Director of Behavioral Health at the Lake County Health Department. “We need people representing every facet of our community to be trained in Youth and Adult Mental Health First Aid so they can readily help those who are experiencing a mental health crisis.”

Approved instructors learn how to teach the Youth Mental Health First Aid course, including the five-step action plan, evidence-supported treatment, and self-help strategies. Instructor training normally costs more than $2,000 per person but is being offered for free to qualified applicants, according to a news release from the health department.

In exchange, individuals who take the course agree to teach a minimum of three Youth Mental Health First Aid classes in the year following the Lake County Health Department training. To learn more and to apply visit www.mentalhealth.today/instructor or email info@mentalhealth.today. Applications are due August 29.

To be considered for certification, candidates must have completed the eight-hour Youth Mental Health First Aid course, which will be offered on August 23 at the Lake County Health Department, possess empathy towards individuals with behavioral health challenges and have enthusiasm to reduce stigma associated with mental illness.

Applicants should also have:

• A general knowledge of mental health and substance use issues
• Experience teaching groups of youth
• Understanding of best practices in youth learning
• Experience facilitating groups

In 2021, the Health Department received a five-year grant extension from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help expand and improve Lake County’s Mental Health First Aid training initiatives.

Through the grant, the Health Department is training 80 individuals to become instructors. In turn, those individuals will train 1,440 community members, according to the news release.