Mental Health First-Aid Classes offered

By JERRY WOLFFE

The Center for Positive Living Supports is initiating a mental health first-aid program in Macomb and Oakland counties, starting Jan. 29 in the Clinton Township office of the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center.

Those trained include school and law enforcement officials, health care workers, individuals in faith-based communities, families and the public on mental health literacy -- helping them identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness.

“We are thrilled to bring mental health first aid to our community,” says Kym Juntti, Director of the Center for Positive Living Supports, an affiliate of MORC which has offices in Clinton Township and Auburn Hills. The first class was to be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lincoln Center at 15930 19-Mile Road and focus on mental health for youth. Classes on April 30 at 1270 Doris St. in Auburn Hills will target adults.

Mental health first aid is an eight-hour training certification course which teaches participants a five-step action plan to secure care for the individual.

The Center for Positive Living Supports is an affiliate of the MORC that provides an array of services that include “Culture of Gentleness” training and crisis response for those who care for individuals with developmental disabilities, mental illness and other marginalized populations, Juntti said.

The center focuses on individuals served in the public mental health system and related shareholders to instill hope and create healthy outcomes, she said.

Wolffe is the writer-in-residence/advocate-at-large at the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center. He can be reached at (586) 263-8950.