May 1, 2024 – The YMCA Alliance of Northern New England is pleased to announce a partnership with the Sweetser Training Institute to offer free mental health training for YMCA staff in Maine this spring.

As a community hub, it is critical for YMCA staff to know how to recognize and respond to the mental health needs of people of all ages. Early intervention and support have been shown to be effective when averting crisis and encouraging healthy mental habits.

On April 26, 12 YMCA staff from four YMCA Associations gathered at the Boothbay Region YMCA for the first Youth Mental Health First Aid Training of the spring series.

The following courses will be offered virtually and at no cost to YMCA staff in Maine:

Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches participants how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders in children. Similar to traditional First Aid and CPR, Mental Health First Aid provides immediate help to a children developing a mental health problem or experiencing a crisis until professional treatment is available or the crisis resolves.

• Friday, May 17 | 9:00am-3:00pm | Zoom/Webex

Psychological First Aid is an evidence-based training to help children, adolescents, adults, and families in the immediate aftermath of disaster and traumatic events. Psychological First Aid is designed to reduce the initial distress caused by traumatic events and to foster short- and long-term adaptive functioning and coping.

• Friday, June 14 | 9:00am-3:00pm | Zoom/Webex

Click HERE to register! Once the registration form is submitted, YMCA staff will receive an email confirmation with instructions to access the online training materials.

Questions? Contact Mason Cashman, Sweetser’s Mental Health Awareness Training Coordinator at mcashman@sweetser.org.