ALBANY, N.Y. (July 29, 2016) – The Mental Health Association in New York State, Inc. trained the 10,000th Mental Health First Aid instructor in Albany, N.Y., on July 29, 2016.

Mental Health First Aid, a groundbreaking 8-hour course, gives people the tools to identify when someone is experiencing a mental health or substance use problem and to connect them with appropriate support and resources when necessary.

“The National Council is thrilled to celebrate the training of the 10,000th Mental Health First Aid instructor. This is a milestone for Mental Health First Aid USA. Instructors are the backbone of the Mental Health First Aid movement, working with us to reach the goal of training 1 million Americans and making Mental Health First Aid as common as CPR,” said Linda Rosenberg, president and CEO of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, which helped bring Mental Health First Aid to the United States in 2008. “I’m personally proud that my home state, New York, is the site of this event and congratulate Glenn Liebman, CEO of the Mental Health Association in New York State for his Mental Health First Aid leadership.”

One in five Americans experiences a mental illness each year, but many are reluctant to seek help or simply don’t know where to turn for care. Unlike physical conditions, symptoms of mental health and substance use problems can be difficult to detect and it can be difficult for friends and family members to know when and how to step in. As a result, those in need of mental health services often do not get them until it is too late.

Just as CPR trains people to assist an individual having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid prepares participants to interact with a person experiencing a mental health crisis. Mental Health First Aiders learn a 5-step action plan that guides them through the process of reaching out and offering appropriate support.

In just eight years Mental Health First Aid has become a full-blown movement in the United States – more than 640,000 people are certified Mental Health First Aiders and that number is growing every day.

View some photos from the 10,000th instructor training below.

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The National Council for Mental Wellbeing was instrumental in bringing Mental Health First Aid to the U.S. in 2008. To-date, more than 640,000 individuals have been trained.

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