In response to our nation’s mental health crisis, The Collaborative and ACT Bennington will bring Mental Health First Aid training to Bennington County and beyond . This groundbreaking skills-based course gives people 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. 

The workshop timeline consists of completing 1-2 hours of programmatic pre-work online in October, followed by attending two virtual workshops held on Sunday, November 3rd and November 10th from 4:30pm -7pm. All participants must pre-register and complete 15 minutes of post-course work. 

This FREE training is open to anyone interested in gaining these skills and certification. Consider registering if you are a teacher, business owner, employee, school bus driver, caring adult, dentist, building and trades professional, community volunteer, or any other adult invested in the mental health of youth in our community.  This training is generously grant-funded by Vermont Care Partners and produced by Sunshine Silver Lining in partnership with The Collaborative and through these grants, you are invited to receive the three year certification at no cost. 

For more information and  to register contact Jacob Dombroski at The Collaborative at jacob@thecollaborative.us or 802-824-4200 and to register directly visit https://bit.ly/3X4j6HN.

One in five Americans has a mental illness, and the pandemic has dramatically increased depression and anxiety, but many are reluctant to seek help or don’t know where to turn for care. Unlike physical conditions, symptoms of mental health and substance use problems can be difficult to detect. Friends and family members may find it hard to know when and how to step in. As a result, those in need of mental health services often do not receive care until it is too late.

Just as CPR helps even those without clinical training assist an individual having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid prepares participants to interact with a person experiencing a mental health crisis. Mental Health First Aiders learn a 5-step Action Plan that guides them through the process of reaching out and offering appropriate support. 

“Never has it been more important for our communities to talk about mental health and substance use,” says Chuck Ingoglia, president and CEO of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, which helped bring Mental Health First Aid to the U.S. in 2008. “This program is breaking down barriers and stigma so that together we can learn how to better support one another. Without mental health, there is no health.”

This need is just as urgent in Bennington County as it is across the rest of the country. A survey of 153 middle and high school participants in a youth substance misuse prevention program, who if anything are more invested on average than the population as a whole, found that only 53.3% of respondents were likely or very likely to discuss their mental health with a caring adult in their lives. In the words of a Bennington County 9th grader who completed the survey, “if you feel like you are not heard it can have a very negative impact on your mental health.”