After four hours of virtual training on Friday, Jan. 22, Evanston residents became certified Mental Health First Aid responders. The training, based on Mental Health First Aid USA
, was the first of three free sessions available to the public throughout January and February and hosted by the Josselyn Center, a community mental health clinic
.
Susan Resko, CEO of the Josselyn Center, along with coworkers Maggie Nash and Becky Schulman hope the course will give Evanston residents and members of the NorthShore University HealthSystem the skills to have open conversations about mental health.
“It’s a first step in destigmatizing and starting that conversation,” Nash said. “When you give and provide the tools for people, they want to talk about it and have that space.”