TRAINING & EDUCATION

Josselyn and NorthShore Mental Health First Aid Partnership

We are excited to announce a partnership between Josselyn and
NorthShore University HealthSystem by certifying Mental Health First Aid instructors to address the mental health needs of our community through identification, education and response.

Interested in becoming a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) instructor?

  • Review the facts and partnership’s expectations to ensure we can best support you and your organization.
  • Understand this is the first phase of this pilot program, and we expect to evolve and develop additional training cohorts over time.
  • Review the timeline for Phase One.
    • First Cohort (5-6 instructors): Spring 2022
    • Second Cohort (5-6 instructors): Summer 2022
  • Apply to our program by completing the interest form below.

MHFA Instructor Interest Form

Sponsored By

NorthShore University HealthSystem

  • NorthShore – Edward-Elmhurst Health is a fully integrated healthcare delivery system committed to providing access to quality, vibrant, community-connected care, serving an area of more than 4.2 million residents across six northeast Illinois counties.
  • Our more than 25,000 team members and more than 6,000 physicians aim to deliver transformative patient experiences and expert care close to home across more than 300 ambulatory locations and eight acute care hospitals – Edward (Naperville), Elmhurst, Evanston, Glenbrook (Glenview), Highland Park, Northwest Community (Arlington Heights) Skokie and Swedish (Chicago) – all recognized as Magnet hospitals for nursing excellence.
  • Located in Naperville, Linden Oaks Behavioral Health, provides for the mental health needs of area residents.

For more information visit NorthShore.org, SwedishCovenant.org, NCH.org, and EEHealth.org.

Mental Health First Aid Programs

MHFA, a national organization, offers both Adult and Youth trainings. To learn more, visit mentalhealthfirstaid.org. 

Adult MHFA

Training adults to support other adults

Youth MHFA

Training adults to support youth

FAQs and Partnership Expectations

Q: What is Mental Health First Aid?
  • Mental Health First Aid is a curriculum designed to teach participants about the basics of mental health and how they can help someone who might be going through a mental health challenge. MHFA creates an inviting learning environment, welcoming anyone to come and learn.

 

Q: What will you teach?
  • Concrete steps to assess and support someone who is experiencing a mental health challenge:
    • Assess for risk of suicide or harm.
    • Listen non-judgmentally.
    • Give reassurance and information.
    • Encourage appropriate professional help.
    • Encourage self-help and other support strategies.

 

Q: What will Josselyn and NorthShore provide?
  • Supporting costs for the MHFA 3-day training
  • Co-teaching options to support new trainers
  • Holding regular support meetings with other MHFA trainers to discuss best practices, concerns and needs
  • Offering workshops on a variety of topics
  • Sharing resources to help answer questions and discuss mental health
  • Coaching/debriefing sessions and feedback to strengthen practices
  • Addressing self-care needs, as needed
Q: Why should I become a trainer?
  • Mental health has been more prevalent than ever, and this course teaches the ways to best support those experiencing a mental health crisis. Mental health can be difficult and uncomfortable to talk about, but as a MHFA trainer, you can help make the conversation easier. Overall our purpose with MHFA is to create a community shift in mental health literacy, reduce stigma and empower our community to feel more comfortable having difficult conversations.

 

Q: What will you be committing to?
  • Providing a minimum of 3 MHFA trainings annually for your community, organization or Josselyn
  • Referring to Josselyn mental health resources and NorthShore medical resources as appropriate
  • Acknowledging the partnership with Josselyn and NorthShore
  • Attending at least 2 MHFA trainer community meetings a year, held by Josselyn
  • Adhering to Josselyn’s mission and vision of MHFA training
  • Participating in the evaluation of the Josselyn/NorthShore MHFA leader pilot program, and administering evaluation on trainings you host.

 

If you are interested in becoming a MHFA instructor with Josselyn and NorthShore University HealthSystem, please complete this interest form.

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Our aim is to get you on the path to mental wellness. Begin the conversation today.

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