Mental Health and Wellness

The importance of physical health has been well documented, but youth (and adults) must pay equal attention to their emotional well-being. Depression, suicide, anxiety, and feelings of isolation are rising among young people. YPRC and Prevention First are steadfast in addressing these ever-changing and complex issues.

Mental Health First Aid

Mental Health First Aid is a course that teaches participants how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. The training gives First Aiders the skills they need to reach out and provide initial help and support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem or experiencing a crisis.

The Youth Prevention Resource Center provides training in Youth Mental Health First Aid (for adults to assist young people) and Teen Mental Health First Aid (for young people to provide Mental Health First Aid to their peers).

Courses can be held in person or virtually. Depending on the delivery method, the instructor-led portion of Youth MHFA courses runs between 4.5 and 8 hours. Teen MHFA courses are taught in multiple shorter sessions.

QPR

QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — the three simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide.

Just as people trained in CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help.

QPR can be learned in our Gatekeeper course (virtual or in person) in as little as one hour.

For more information about these training offerings, contact Randyl Wilkins at randyl.wilkins@prevention.org

Resources

Wellness Wallpapers

The YPRC’s Student Advisory Board created these mobile phone wallpapers as a part of a Mental Health Awareness Month project. Download one (or a few!) and set it as your wallpaper for a reminder to take time to prioritize your mental well-being, or design one of your own and send it to yprc@prevention.org. We might feature it on our social media!