Bullhook to hold mental health aid training

Bullhook Community Health Center will offer mental health aid training Jan. 27 to teach how to identify people who struggle with mental health or substance problems and then connect them with the resources they need.

The free eight-hour training course will begin at 8 a.m in the Jon Tester Conference Room and will be taught by Curtis Smeby, a professor at Montana State University-Northern and certified instructor by the National Council for Behavioral Health.

“These mental health first aiders have the satisfaction of knowing they have more skills and resources to support family, friends and those in the community when problems can be identified,” Smeby said.

To register for the training session, people can call Julie Strobel at 395-6907 or email her at [email protected].

Mental health issues are a serious problem, experts say.

A press release says 1 in 5 Americans has a mental illness, but many are reluctant to seek help or might not know where to turn for care. Unlike physical conditions, symptoms of mental health and substance use can be difficult to detect, the release adds.

“Through this program, we hope to take the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations about mental health and substance abuse problems,” President and CEO of the National Council for Behavioral Health Linda Rosenberg said in the release. “… When more people are equipped with the tools they need to start a dialogue, more people can get the help they need.”

For more information about the training or mental health, people can call Smeby at 265-3517 or email him at [email protected].