Bringing Youth Mental Health First Aid to Santa Cruz County

As part of the Community Resiliency Initiative, Santa Cruz COE is training Santa Cruz County school staff in Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA). This program helps school staff identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among children and adolescents ages 12-18.

Our first two YMHFA training sessions were held on Thursday, March 23rd and March 27th, 2023. We were able to train 30 school staff members, largely from Scotts Valley High School, San Lorenzo Valley High School, and the COE. We look forward to continuing offering this training in the future to middle and high school staff.

Congratulations to our new certified Youth Mental Health First Aiders!

Find Out More About Mental Health First Aid