Education-Training Opportunities
We are currently providing Adult, Youth, and Teen Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) full or multi-day trainings and a two hour Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) virtually or in-person. These trainings are offered at no cost to you or your learners. Our goal is to teach community members how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among youth and adults. This training program is managed by WSU faculty with extensive experience in prevention sciences and mental health. Our workshops are taught by highly qualified faculty, staff, and students who are passionate about educating the public on how to reduce suicide in our communities. Please see the boxes below for more information on these programs.
Below is a list of upcoming Mental Health trainings which are open to individuals. We also offer free or low cost trainings for community organizations, workplace, and school settings. If you would like to inquire about hosting a class or need some help finding a class which is a good fit for you, simply email us.
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Mental Health First Aid
We are proud to offer this no-cost Mental Health First Aid training to our Washington community members! Mental Health First Aid is designed to teach parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, health and human services workers, and other caring citizens how to help a person who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or is in crisis. These trainings can be delivered for two different audiences:
- Adult Mental Health First Aid is primarily designed for adults who regularly interact with other adults. You can learn more from the Adult Mental Health First Aid (AMHFA) website.
- Youth Mental Health First Aid is primarily designed for adults who regularly interact with young people. You can learn more from the Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) website.
Both trainings are offered in a variety of formats, including virtual, hybrid, or full in-person. No matter which format you are using, you can expect 2 hours of online self-paced learning and 5.5 hours of live instruction via one of our WSU trainers, for a total of 7.5 hours of instruction.
QPR
QPR is a suicide prevention program designed to teach individuals to recognize the warning signs of suicide, how to engage with at-risk-of-suicide individuals, and connect them to the appropriate resources.
QPR originated in Washington State with the help of Spokane Mental Health and the creator Paul Quinnett. QPR provides a simple and effective framework for Suicide prevention that can be taught to individuals from various backgrounds. This training plays a crucial role in saving lives and promoting mental health awareness and support.
QPR Teen brings training to a teen audience with two caring facilitators to support the teens, journals, and a training tailored for schools or youth groups.
Teen Mental Health First Aid
NEW for 2025! We are please to announce that we are now able to bring the evidence based program, Teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) to your school or organization at no charge. tMHFA gives young people the skills to have supportive conversations with their friends and how to get help from a responsible and trusted adult.
What we provide:
- Multiple consultations with your site to ensure you are fully prepared to meet the needs of your teen learners.
- Free Youth Mental Health First Aid training for your staff prior to tMHFA implementation (10% minimum staff trained is required).
- Live (in person, virtual, or hybrid) information sessions for your staff, your teens, and parents/guardians prior to tMHFA implementation.
- Tailored-to-your site tMHFA in-person training in either three (3) 90-minute sessions, or (6) 45-minute sessions.
- In depth, age-appropriate discussions and exercises for your teens focused on:
- signs and symptoms of mental health and substance abuse challenges
- signs of a mental health crisis, particularly suicide
- impact of school violence and bullying on teen mental health
- practice and skill-building on how to have an open conversation with friends
- emphasis on when and how to seek help from a trusted adult
- Workbooks and learning materials for each teen
- Continued support after implementation as well as access to follow-up workshops from WSU C.A.R.E.S. network of trainers.
Want to learn more? To schedule a consultation for your group, please email wsucares.contact@wsu.edu