Mental Health First Aid Training

Kelly Burk is a Certified Trainer of Mental Health First Aid programs. Kelly offers full-day trainings in person and online/virtually that help people learn to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among adults.

What is Mental Health First Aid?

MHFA is skills-based training that teaches people how to identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of a mental health or substance use challenge.

Similar to physical First Aid and CPR, MHFA helps you assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis until professional assistance is obtained or the crisis is resolved.

Learn more about Mental Health First Aid in this brief video:

Where are Mental Health First Aid trainings offered?

Kelly offers Mental Health First Aid trainings throughout the midwestern states of Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.

Kelly’s focus areas include Indianapolis, Indiana, Richmond, Indiana, Muncie, Indiana, Fort Wayne, Indiana and other cities and towns throughout Indiana.

Kelly also provides trainings in and around Dayton, Ohio, Cincinnati, Ohio, Oxford, Ohio, Columbus, Ohio and other communities throughout the state.

When providing a training in person is not possible, Kelly also offers virtual/online trainings.

You can find MHFA trainings in other locations at the MHFA website.

Who are Mental Health First Aid trainings for?

Kelly Burk is offering Mental Health First Aid trainings for a wide variety of organizations that can benefit from these trainings. Kelly can help give your team the skills to support others with expert-led group mental health trainings, allowing you to build stronger support systems in your organization and community.

Kelly works with businesses, non-profit organizations, churches and faith-based organizations, schools, civic service organizations and many other kinds of groups.

Kelly also offers Mental Health First Aid trainings to local governments, first responders, law enforcement agencies, healthcare providers, and retail businesses.

What does Mental Health First Aid teach?

Mental Health First Aiders learn a 5-step Action Plan to recognize warning signs of a mental health or substance use challenge, provide help in crisis and non-crisis situations and understand where to turn for additional assistance.

The 5-step Action Plan (ALGEE) is:

• Assess for risk of suicide or harm;
• listen nonjudgmentally;
• give reassurance and information;
• encourage appropriate professional help;
• and encourage self-help and other support strategies.

Through MHFA, more than 3 million people in the U.S. have been trained by thousands of certified Instructors like Kelly Burk to identify, understand, and respond to signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges.

Peer-reviewed studies have proven that trained Mental Health First Aiders are more knowledgeable and confident when it comes to identifying and helping an individual in distress.

The new MHFA curriculum gives First Aiders working definitions for trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It describes the types of crises associated with trauma and emphasizes the importance of early intervention following a traumatic event. First Aiders receive clear guidance for supporting someone immediately after a traumatic event, as well as over the time that follows. This added instruction on trauma will help First Aiders better assess and respond to situations where they encounter someone dealing with trauma related to COVID-19 or other events.

The MHFA curriculum helps First Aiders understand what self-care is and the various forms it can take. The curriculum demonstrates how self-care is important to resilience and recovery, and then helps First Aiders develop their own self-care action plans that they can use to navigate traumas and stressors.

How do we know that Mental Health First aid is effective?

Many people know to call 911 or administer CPR for a physical health emergency but hesitate to start conversations about mental health and substance use. MHFA provides the tools a layperson needs to take action.

Studies show that MHFA training reduces stigma, improves knowledge and increases first aid actions toward people experiencing mental health and substance use challenges.

MHFA is proven to be effective in teaching adults how to recognize and respond to signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges. Peer-reviewed studies from around the world show that individuals trained in MHFA:

• Expand their knowledge of signs, symptoms and risk factors of mental health and substance use challenges.
• Can identify appropriate types of professionals and self-help resources for individuals with a mental health or substance use challenge.
• Have increased confidence in and likelihood to help an individual in distress.
• Show increased mental wellbeing themselves.

How do I schedule a training?

To schedule a Mental Health First Aid training with Kelly Burk, please contact her: