Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day Event
2nd September 2014
On May 14, 2014 the Colorado Department of Human Services funded and co-sponsored an event for Children's Mental Health Awareness Day as part of the Trauma Informed System of Care initiative. The goal of the event was to increase the awareness of children’s mental health issues and the capacity to respond to mental health crises. The objective was to train these individuals in Youth Mental Health First Aid. To accomplish this, the System of Care staff collaborated with a number of partners, including the Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council, Children's Hospital, South Metro Health Alliance, and the Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health, to reach a wide audience of providers. Youth Mental Health First Aid is a skills-based training that increases the capacity of providers to appropriately serve the populations in their care by teaching a five-step action plan to assist someone in a mental health crisis. Approximately 200 individuals were trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid or Mental Health First Aid at the event. Those trained include providers from healthcare, education, juvenile justice, after school programs, and other community organizations who serve children, youth, and families. The event was held at Arapahoe Community College and co-hosted by Senator Linda Newell. Representative Tracy Kraft-Tharp spoke at the event, as well as Sally Spencer Thomas from the Carson J. Spencer Foundation.