TRAININGS

Mental Health First Aid
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To put it in simple from, Mental Health First Aid is "the help provided to a person developing a mental health problem or in a mental health crisis”. Like traditional first aide, mental health first aid is given until appropriate professional treatment is received or until the crisis resolves" 
 
In mental health crises, such as a person feeling suicidal, deliberately harming themselves, having a panic attack or being acutely psychotic, someone with appropriate mental health first aid skills can reduce the risk of the person coming to harm.

Mental Health First Aid is offered in the form of an interactive 8-hour  course that presents an overview of mental illness and substance use disorders in the U.S. and introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, builds understanding of their impact, and overviews common treatments. Those who complete the 8-hours to certify as Mental Health First Aiders learn a 5-step action encompassing the skills, resources and knowledge to help an individual in crisis connect with appropriate professional, peer, social, and self-help care.

The Mental Health First Aid USA course has benefited a variety of audiences and key professions, including: primary care professionals, employers and business leaders, faith communities, school personnel and educators, state police and corrections officers, first responders, nursing home staff, mental health authorities, ER Staff, state policymakers, volunteers, young people,  families and the general public.

A  number of studies have been carried out showing the people who are trained in mental health first aid showed improved knowledge, confidence, attitudes and helping behavior when facing a mental health crisis. 

Behavioral Health regularly schedules trainings for interested individuals to become certified in Mental Health First Aid. If you or your agency is interested in learning more, or participating in the next training, please contact us for more info. 

Next training dates:  October  4 & 5, 2018 (1-5pm) | November 2, 2018 (8am-5pm) | January  24-25, 2019 (1-5pm) | May 10, 2019 8am-5pm) 
 
Cost is $20 per person which includes materials, snacks and refreshments.
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Trainings will be split over two days (in afternoons). Each session is 4hrs and to receive certification participants must complete the 8 hour trainings in the back to back sessions. 
Please contact Christine Coffey at Behavioral Health to register. 559-852-2372 or :christine.coffey@co.kings.ca.us
 
**Mental Health First Aid training may be provided to agencies or other groups with a request of a minimum of  30-days prior to the desired date and contingent on trainer availability. Cost is $20 per person (for materials).
Yo8YYouth Mental Health First Aid
Youth Mental Health First Aid is designed to teach parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, health and human services workers, and other caring citizens how to help an adolescent (age 12-18) who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or is in crisis. Youth Mental Health First Aid is primarily designed for adults who regularly interact with young people. The course introduces common mental health challenges for youth, reviews typical adolescent development, and teaches a 5-step action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations. Topics covered include anxiety, depression, substance use, disorders in which psychosis may occur, disruptive behavior disorders (including AD/HD), and eating disorders.
Trainings will be split over two days (in afternoons). Each session is 4hrs and to receive certification participants must complete the 8 hour trainings in the back to back sessions. 

**Youth Health First Aid training may be provided to agencies or other groups with a request of a minimum of  30-days prior to the desired date and contingent on trainer availability. Cost is $20 per person (for materials).

Please contact Ana Lopez about availability of trainings: ana.lopez@co.kings.ca.us or (559)852-2416  
Assist Training
Kings County Behavioral Health in conjunction with LivingWorks  is proud to provide ASIST Training at no cost for Kings County!

The ASIST workshop is for caregivers who want to feel more comfortable, confident and competent in helping to prevent the immediate risk of suicide. Over one million caregivers have participated in this two-day, highly interactive, practical, practice-oriented workshop. 

Participation in the full two days is required. Enjoy small group discussions and skills practice that are based upon adult learning principles. Experience powerful videos on suicide intervention. Feel challenged
and safe. Learn suicide first aid.  If you are interested in attending, Please contact, Chris Coffey
at 852-2372 to RSVP.  There are limited slots available and registration will be done on first come first served
basis. 
Next training dates: June 28 & 29 2018 |  July 19 & 20 2018 | September 26 & 27 2018 | June 13 & 14 2019
You can request to be placed on the waiting list for the next training. 
SafeTALK is a half-day training program that teaches participants to recognize and engage persons who might be having thoughts of suicide and to connect them with community resources.  The ‘safe’ of safeTALK stands for ‘suicide alertness for everyone’. The ‘TALK’ letters stand for the practice actions that one does to help those with thoughts of suicide: Tell, Ask, Listen, and KeepSafe.

It is designed to help participants monitor the effect of false societal beliefs that can cause otherwise caring and helpful people to miss, dismiss, or avoid suicide alerts and to practice the TALK step actions to move past these barriers. SafeTALK was developed by LivingWorks Education to complement longer suicide intervention training. Please contact Antonio Lopez, Errin Reinbolt, or Ana Lopez at (559)852-2444 for dates or if you wish to host a training at your site.

Next Training dates:  August 10, 2018 9am-1pm-Avenal 
Another Kind of Valor
Families and agencies who serve veterans are constantly being  challenged on how to best serve Veterans who turn to them for assistance and support. Families of these Veterans must also try to come to grip with loved ones who have returned home changed in so many ways. The dilemma is how can professionals and loved ones learn to be supportive of behaviors that they can’t begin to understand? Does one confront the Veteran’s resistance to talk? Does one challenge his/her emotional outburst? What does one do when the Veteran is faced with triggers of war and will recluse themselves for days on end? What do you do when caring words are met with stony silence? And how does one deal with a spouse that feels le􀅌 out of the family after returning from an overseas tour?

These are all  important concerns.  Kings County Behavioral Health  is addressing these questions and more through the “Another Kind of Valor” training. The 7 hour training is provided to a variety of agencies who work
closely with Veterans. These agencies include the courts, law enforcement, college counselors, doctors, churches and mental health agencies, just to name a few. The training provides tools on how to reach Veterans by having actual Veterans speak about their experiences and directly letting us know what they
need from all of us. Military spouses also speak out about their experiences of being married to a Veteran. Female Veterans discuss their experiences of serving in  the military. Numerous videos are presented to exemplify the effects of war on our Veterans. Discussions on the availability of services in Kings County are also presented. The topic of what to say and not say, as well as what to ask and not ask Veterans is discussed. Finally, working with Veterans can be  very taxing to family members and service providers;  therefore, Vicarious Traumatization/Compassion Fatigue is thoroughly reviewed.

 The Valor training is available to any agency or person that works or plans to work with Veterans. For additional information please call Chris Coffey at 559‐852‐2372.

Next training dates: To be announced.  To register call 852-2444 (seating is limited).

This training is 8 hours long.

Cultural Competency Trainings
Kings County Behavioral Health constantly sponsors trainings that equip agency's and individuals to be more culturally competent. 
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Crisis Intervention Training (CIT)
 Coming soon will be the CIT training. This training  is  modeled  after  a  nationally  recognized,  evidence-  
 based program known as the CIT Memphis Model that focuses on training law enforcement personnel and 
 other first responders to recognize the signs of mental illness when responding to a person experiencing a
 mental health crisis. The course provides 32 hours of training and is approved by the local Peace Officers
 Standards and Training (POST) agency at no cost to the participating agency or individual. The course
                                            teaches trainees on the signs and symptoms of mental illness and coaching on how to respond 
                                            appropriately and compassionately to individuals or families in crisis.
Breaking S.I. Program To Stopping Teen Self-Injury
This a Train The Trainer model for a 12 week curriculum called Breaking S.I- A Twelve Week Program To Stop Teen Self-Injury.  
This program is not psychotherapy. It is a skill-building, using evidenced based techniques,  program which may be taught by any person (no license, degree, certification, etc. required) who is interested in helping teens who are inflicted with self-injurious behavior.

Course meets the qualifications for 13 hours of Continuing Education Credits for LCSW's as Required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, NASW Provider ID #886719722-0. This seminar qualifies for 13 C.E.s by other licensing boards. Check with your respective board for CE filing requirements. Certificates will be available at the end of seminar with submission of completed evaluation form. No partial credits given.

The training is provided by its creator Mario Lopez, LCSW who has been contracted by KCBH to provide this training to Kings County. Please contact Mr. Lopez directo at lopezm232@gmail.com or (559) 924-2900.