BETHEL - How would you react if faced with a friend, co-worker, or family members who just confided that they are so depressed, they are thinking about suicide? Or a total stranger ahead of you in a grocery line who begins to exhibit signs they may be having a mental health episode?The Newtown Bee, is actually recognized globally.michelle.weinstein@abilitybeyond.orgContact Michelle Weinstein at

Similar to first aid and CPR, mental health first aid (MHFA) teaches individuals how to help those experiencing mental health challenges or crises according to Michelle Weinstein, MS, BC-HSP. Ms Weinstein is a Newtown resident and serves as a residential and clinical services manager with Ability Beyond along with being a certified National Council of Behavioral Health MHFA instructor.

She has been teaching the courses at least four times annually for about seven years, and is poised to offer two separate weekend certification programs for anyone who wants to be better prepared in the event they encounter someone experiencing a mental health emergency. Each session is eight hours, and upon successful completion, attendees will receive national certification, which she recently told

Session 1 runs from 9 am to noon on April 23 and 24; and session 2 will be from 9 am to noon on April 30 and May 1. All classes are being taught at the Ability Beyond offices at Leir Pavilion, 4 Berkshire Boulevard. The individual discounted program tuition is $50.

"I have taught and certified over 500 individuals who have taken this course so they can better help a person who is dealing with an emotional/psychological crisis," she said. "This course has been getting more and more popular and even President Obama and the First Lady have spoken about the importance of this training."

Ms Weinstein knows that mental health challenges - such as depression, anxiety, psychosis, and substance use - are shockingly common in the United States. And more than one in five American adults will have a mental health problem in any given year.

The National Council for Behavioral Health certifies individuals throughout the nation, including Ability Beyond, to provide mental health first aid courses to prepare their communities with the knowledge and skills to help individuals who are developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis.

Identified on SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices, the training helps the public better identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses. Anyone unable to attend, who is interested in a separate training for themselves, their employer, or an organization they belong to can receive discounted rates for providing the course privately.

"We could do a training class as large as 30, or for as few as three," she said.

to register. There are only 20 seats available to the community for each session. She said individuals who may have a scheduling problem could take part one on April 23 and part two on May 1, as long as they clear that with her before beginning the training.

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