Box:
To register for mental health first aid training through the Macomb-Oakland
Regional Center, visit www.positivelivingsupport.org or call (586) 263-8748
Mental
health first-aid training offered
By
JERRY WOLFFE
MORC
Writer-in-Residence
The
Center for Positive Living Supports is initiating a mental health first-aid
program in Macomb and Oakland counties, starting Jan. 29 in the Clinton
Township office of the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center.
Those
trained include school and law enforcement officials, health care workers,
individuals in faith-based communities, families and the public on mental
health literacy -- helping them identify, understand, and respond to signs of
mental illness.
“We
are thrilled to bring mental health first aid to our community,” says Kym
Juntti, Director of the Center for Positive Living Supports, an affiliate of
MORC which has offices in Clinton Township and Auburn Hills. The first class
was to be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lincoln Center at 15930
19-Mile Road
and focus on mental health for youth. Classes on April 30 at 1270 Doris St. in
Auburn Hills will target adults.
Mental health first aid is an eight-hour
training certification course which
teaches participants
a five-step action plan to secure care for the individual.
The Center for Positive Living Supports is an
affiliate of the MORC that provides an array of services that include “Culture
of Gentleness” training and crisis response for those who care for individuals
with developmental disabilities, mental illness and other marginalized
populations, Juntti said.
The center focuses on individuals served in the
public mental health system and related shareholders to instill hope and create
healthy outcomes, she said.
Jerry Wolffe is the
writer-in-residence/advocate-at-large at the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center. He
can be reached at (586) 263-8950.
