Welcome to the School Mental Health Resource and Training Center. Established in 2018 to assist schools in developing curricula and programs to comply with the New York State Mental Health Education Law, the Resource and Training Center provides in-person trainings, webinars and technical assistance to schools across New York State, along with several resources and downloadable lesson plans for staff to use in the classroom and at the district level. Trainings and webinars are also available to parents and community members. The School Mental Health Resource and Training Center website can be found at www.mentalhealthEDnys.org. Inquiries can be made at schools@mhanys.org.

 Available trainings/webinars:

● Mental Health and Wellness 101: Reframes the conversation about mental health to an understanding that we ALL have mental health; it is not just about the presence or absence of an illness. Presentation includes prevalence, signs and symptoms, risk and protective factors, coping strategies, help-seeking and recovery. Targeted audience: entire school staff. It is also available for parents and community members. (1 hour)

This training is also available for educators as an online learning module entitled “Supporting the Mental Health and Wellness of Students” for CTLE credit.

● Suicide Safety for School Staff: Designed to meet the basic awareness needs of all school staff concerning suicide prevention. Emphasis is on recognizing warning signs, clarifying the referral process in place at school, and making a warm hand-off. Specific district protocols are reviewed by administrators. Targeted audience: entire school staff. (60 – 90 minutes)

● Cultivating Educator Resiliency: Explores self-care and wellness from a strengths-based perspective, including understanding stressors, building resiliency and self-compassion, and managing change. Targeted audience: entire school staff. (1 hour) 

● Adult & Youth Mental Health First Aid: Provides participants with in-depth knowledge and skills to help someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. Targeted audience: general public for Adult; educators and parents for Youth. (8 hours)

Technical Assistance:

● Assessing Mental Health Instruction and Awareness in your District: This workshop provides school district staff with the tools to assess current mental health curriculum practices and district strategies for supporting student mental health. Targeted audience: health educators or the entire school staff. (1- 2.5 hours)

Technical assistance is also available on a regular basis by Resource and Training Center staff at our Albany office at schools@mhanys.org or by phone at (518) 434-0439.

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