A new program in Tuolumne County aims to help youth who are having a mental health crisis.

The program, presented by the YES Partnership, is called Youth Mental Health First Aid, and the first training course was held last week in Sonora. 

Another training session is planned for February and is free thanks to a grant from the Sonora Area Foundation and Mental Health Services Act funding through Tuolumne County Behavioral Health Department. 

Youth Mental Health First Aid is designed to teach parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, and health and social services workers how to help an adolescent experiencing a mental health crisis. 

“It’s a new initiative we’ve been working to launch for a while now,” said Bob White of the Amador-Tuolumne Community Action Agency, of which the YES Partnership is a part. 

The training is a free, two-day (four hours each day) class that introduces common mental health challenges for kids ages 12 to 18, reviews typical adolescent development, and teaches an action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations. 

Topics include anxiety, depression, substance use, disorders that can cause psychosis, disruptive behavior disorders (including ADHD) and eating disorders.

To continue reading this story by Lacey Peterson, go to: http://www.uniondemocrat.com/N...-first-aid-training#