UR Medicine Thompson Health will offer a free Youth Mental Health First Aid course Aug. 18 in Canandaigua for parents and adults who work with young people.
The training begins with a two-hour self-paced online course followed by an in-person session from 9:30 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon at Wood Library, 134 North Main Street.
Teachers, school employees, coaches, camp counselors, youth group leaders and other adults who work with young people are encouraged to participate.
The course was created by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. It will cover how to assess the risk of suicide or harm, listen without judgment, offer reassurance and information, encourage professional assistance and connect young people with self-help and other support strategies.
The council reports that more than 10% of young people will be diagnosed with a substance use disorder during their lifetime. It also says one in five teens and young adults lives with a mental health condition, with half of mental illnesses beginning by age 14.
Space is limited. Registration is available by calling 585-396-6111 or emailing Kristen_Seyfried@URMC.Rochester.edu.
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