C4 Among First in Nation to Pilot Mental Health ‘First Aid’ Project
Posted by Frank Anselmo on May 21, 2008
(Chicago, IL) — Community Counseling Centers of Chicago (C4) was selected as one of seven sites nationwide to pilot Mental Health First Aid, an innovative program to help the general public to provide ‘first aid’ to someone experiencing a mental health crisis.
C4 Regional Director Viviana Ploper and C4 Ridge Site Director Claudia Kottwitz participated in the initial February 4-8 training in Palm Springs, California, sponsored by the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare (NCCBH). Both members are now certified to present the MHFA training.
“It’s the mental health equivalent of CPR,” observes Ploper, who will conduct C4’s first training session –targeted for C4 nonclinical staff. “The 12-hour training focuses on the more common mental health crises of depression and anxiety, substance use, psychotic behavior and impulse and control disorders.”
“If someone is having a panic attack on a bus, an adult trained in mental health first aid could help the person,” explains Ploper.
