SHARON, Pa. – Penn State faculty members and certified Mental Health First Aid peer educators are offering free training sessions for interested participants in both the Beaver Valley and Shenango Valley communities in June.
The training is especially valuable for human service workers, clinicians, educators, first responders, health care workers, HR professionals and anyone in customer service or social services roles, a news release states.
The first session will be held June 15 in the Penn State Beaver Student Union Building, and the second will take place June 18 in Penn State Shenango’s Chadderton Laboratory. Both sessions will run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
These skills-based courses give attendees and industry professionals the tools to identify, understand and respond to someone who might be struggling with a mental health or substance use challenge and connect them with appropriate support and resources when necessary.
“Given the growing demand for mental health awareness and support, this training felt especially timely,” said Tammy Divens, a teaching professor in Penn State Shenango’s occupational therapy assistant program and MHFA instructor. “It empowers both professionals and community members with the knowledge and tools needed to recognize and respond to mental health challenges. Our intent is to encourage the community and to bring hope.”
The training will be delivered in a blended format, meaning a portion of the training is done online and the rest will be done in person with certified instructors. The online portion covers foundational knowledge, and the live session focuses on real-life scenarios, skill-building and discussion. This approach allows participants to learn at their own pace initially and then reinforce their knowledge through interactive, guided learning.
“In many fields, this kind of training is becoming essential for creating supportive, healthy workplaces,” said Roxanne Atterholt, an associate teaching professor of human development and family studies and MHFA instructor.
Registration for the Mental Health First Aid training session is limited to 30 participants at each session and closes May 28. Those interested in attending the June 18 training at Penn State Shenango can register HERE. For those interested in attending the June 15 training at Penn State Beaver, click HERE.