"The Mental Health Specialist course is a wonderful resource for school counselors to utilize in their everyday practice. With the growing concerns of mental health, this training provides not only a resource for the school counselor but skills and strategies we can use with students on a daily basis." – Christina Costello, School Counselor. Benselam, Pa.

Location: Online, Self-paced

Course Description
About four million 9 to 17 year olds have a major mental health disorder resulting in significant impairment at home, at school and with peers, according to a report of the Surgeon General’s Conference on Children’s Mental Health. At least one in five children and adolescents has a mental health disorder, and one in 10 has a serious disorder. Mental health disorders affect students’ ability to succeed in school both academically and socially.

People with mental disorders account for more than 90 percent of deaths by suicide. Most alarming, the Centers for Disease Control ranks suicide as the third leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults (ages 10-19), and for every young person who dies by suicide another 100–200 make a suicide attempt. This translates to an estimated count of three students in a typical high school who will attempt suicide each year. Due to this disturbing statistic, it’s crucial that school districts have policies and procedures in place to prevent, assess the risk of, intervene in, and respond to youth suicidal behavior.

These staggering statistics underscore the importance of being cognizant of students’ mental well-being. School counselors, along with other specialized instruction support personnel, are often on the forefront of identifying behaviors that could signal something more serious. School counselors should also play a key role in implementing suicide-prevention and mental-health policies that are critical to creating a safe school environment for everyone. View the Specialist syllabus.

Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:

• Recognize the warning signs of various mental health disorders
• Describe how to address the mental health needs of students by providing direct services, accessing community resources, and working with school staff and community service providers
• Recognize when to collaborate with parents/guardians, teachers, administrators or involve outside help
• Implement suicide-prevention policies
• Identify best practices for schools to follow to protect the mental health and safety of all students

Registration Fee
The Mental Health Specialist training is $99 ($249 for nonmembers) and is equal to 5 CEUs/50 Contact Hours. Graduate credit is available for an additional fee.