Join VBSR, United Way of Northwest Vermont, and a special guest from the Burlington Police Department for this two-part Mental Health First Aid certification.

Session 1: September 29 from 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM (Virtual)

Session 2: October 6 from 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM (In-person in Burlington, VT)

Mental health challenges have increased significantly in the past few years and the systems of support have been pushed to a breaking point. Now more than ever, we need to come together to address the gaps in our mental health network for ourselves and our colleagues.

Mental Health First Aid is an early intervention public education program that can help individuals across the community understand mental illnesses, support timely intervention and  has helped to save lives since its creation in 2000. Through role-playing and simulations, you will learn how to assess the signs and symptoms of a mental health challenge; select interventions; provide initial help; and connect people to professional, peer and social supports as well as self-help resources. By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Identify the impact of mental health challenges on the well-being of adults in the U.S.
• Explain that recovery from a mental health challenge is possible.
• Describe the principles of safety and privacy for both the Mental Health First Aider and the person receiving first aid.
• Explain the 5 steps of the Mental Health First Aid Action Plan (ALGEE).
• Recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health challenges that may impact adults.
• Evaluate the impact of early intervention on mental health challenges.
• Apply the appropriate steps of the Mental Health First Aid Action Plan (ALGEE) when a person shows early signs of a mental health challenge.
• Apply the appropriate steps of the Mental Health First Aid Action Plan (ALGEE) when a person shows worsening signs of a mental health challenge.
• Apply the appropriate steps of the Mental Health First Aid Action Plan (ALGEE) to crisis situations.
• Choose appropriate methods for self-care following the application of Mental Health First Aid in a crisis or non-crisis situation.

“Just as CPR helps you assist an individual having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid helps you assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge or crisis. It takes the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations about mental health or substance use by improving understanding and providing an action plan that teaches people to safely and responsibly identify and address a potential issue.” Learn more about the Mental Health First Aid Training here.

Schedule

Session 1

Friday, September 29th from 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Location: Virtual

Session 2

Friday, October 6th from 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Location: In-person in Burlington, VT. Details will be shared with participants.

Meet Your Facilitators

Cari Kelley

Certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor

Workplace Donor Relations Manager at United Way of Northwest Vermont 

Cari Kelley is the Workplace Donor Relations Manager at the United Way of Northwest Vermont. She works with businesses directly and helps them with their Workplace Campaigns, as well as, Community Engagement efforts. Part of those efforts is the ability to offer Mental Health First Aid as a Certified Trainer, and help businesses offer this important educational opportunity to their employees. Cari has been with the United Way of Northwest Vermont for six years. Prior to joining the team, Cari was the Executive Director of Leadership Champlain and the Leadership Development and Workforce Education Manager at the Lake Champlain Chamber for ten years.

Cari became a Mental Health First Aid Trainer through her life experience of being the sole-support for a family member with severe anxiety and depression and has direct ties to her passion for the community. She is the current Board Chair for the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce and the State Rehabilitation Council, and a Board Member of Destination Imagination and Sail Beyond Cancer. She holds a B.A. in Business Administration and a Certificate in Human Relations and Organization Development from Champlain College. She lives in Grand Isle with her partner, Greg, and her grown twins, Calvin and Jacquie, and let’s not forget Tank, her 130-pound rescued Black Lab.

Anna Wageling

Community Support Liaison at Burlington Police Department

Anna joined the Burlington Police Department in October 2021 after the creation of Crisis, Advocacy, Intervention Programs (CAIP) as a Community Support Liaison. Prior to this role, she held many roles at the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) at the Vermont Field Office and served hundreds of newly arrived refugees coming to the state. This passion for serving her community started at a young age and followed through to college at the University of New Hampshire, where she studied Arabic and lived in Amman, Jordan for a semester. After college, she served as an AmeriCorps member in a resettlement office in Manchester, New Hampshire, and learned more about the nuances of working with the police department in her hometown. After arriving in Vermont, she hoped for a position that combined her love of working with the refugee community and law enforcement and then the CSL position was born. At BPD, Anna has created a cultural humility training, a soft interview room for those impacted by crime, and is working on intimate meetings within the refugee community to improve the relationship with police. Anna enjoys learning languages, being outside, working at her local music venue, and volunteering.

Thank you to United Way of Northwest Vermont for sponsoring this training and making it possible for this training to be accessible! Learn more about United Way of Northwest Vermont’s Mental Health Initiative here. 

The price of registration covers the cost of your registration.