Name: Mental Health First Aid Class
Start: 2026-03-15T09:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-03-15T15:00:00-05:00
Location: Guardian-Concepts - Guardian Training Center

In response to our nation’s mental health crisis, Buddy Check 22: Veteran Suicide Awareness will bring Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training to Kankakee, IL on March 15, 2026.
This groundbreaking skills-based course teaches people how to identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of mental health or substance use challenges. Similar to physical First Aid and CPR, Mental Health First Aid helps you assist someone experiencing a crisis until professional assistance is obtained or the crisis is resolved.
One in five Americans has experienced a mental health challenge, but many are reluctant to seek help or don’t know where to turn for care. Unlike physical conditions, symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges can be difficult to see. Friends and family members may find it hard to know when and how to step in. As a result, those in need of mental health services often do not receive care until it is too late.
Mental Health First Aiders learn a 5-step Action Plan that guides them through the process of reaching out and offering appropriate support. “It’s never been more important for our communities to talk about mental health and substance use,” says Chuck Ingoglia, president and CEO of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, which helped bring Mental Health First Aid to the U.S. in 2008. “Mental Health First Aid is breaking down barriers and stigma so that together we can learn how to better support one another. Without mental health, there is no health.”
Since its introduction, Mental Health First Aid has become a full-blown movement! More than 3 million people in the United States are trained by thousands of certified Instructors, and that number is growing every day.
For more information or to participate in a Mental Health First Aid training, contact David McCleery at [email protected].