HR Tip- Development Opportunities in Spring 2023: Mental Health First Aid

Dear colleagues, please review the information below about a valuable instructor-led training course provided at no cost through CU Denver.  

The content of this course discusses sensitive and challenging topics of suicide, alcohol and drug use, panic attacks and more. If this training is not appropriate for you at this time, please access this content at a later time. If you or someone you know is needing help or support, please reach out to 988 via call or text. 

Mental Health First Aid is a program of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, and certification training is offered at no cost to CU Denver faculty and staff until gifted funds run out. Mental Health First Aid is a skills-based training course that teaches participants about mental health and substance-use concerns. Just as CPR helps you assist an individual having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid helps you assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis. In the course, you learn risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns, strategies for how to help someone in both crisis and non-crisis situations, and where to turn for help. 

When you take a course, you learn how to apply the Mental Health First Aid action plan in a variety of situations, including when someone is experiencing: 

  • Panic attacks 
  • Suicidal thoughts or behaviors 
  • Non suicidal self-injury 
  • Acute psychosis (e.g., hallucinations or delusions) 
  • Overdose or withdrawal from alcohol or drug use 
  • Reaction to a traumatic event 

Opportunity is given to practice these skills through role plays, scenarios, and activities. The training course includes 2 hours of pre-work and a live zoom gathering, which is 6 hours long (with a short lunch break).  

View the upcoming dates & Register here: https://www.ucdenver.edu/wellness/services/educational-trainings/mental-health-first-aid.  

Questions? Please reach out to kelley.patient@ucdenver.edu or sehdhr@ucdenver.edu