News and Events - Compeer Buffalo

Mental Health First Aid Training

More than 4,500 people across Western New York have been trained by Compeer in Mental Health First Aid! This number continues to grow as more and more individuals are learning about this curriculum.

The National Council for Behavioral Health certifies individuals throughout the nation, including Compeer, to provide Mental Health First Aid courses to prepare their communities with the knowledge and skills to help individuals who are developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. Identified on SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices, the training helps the public better identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses.

People who enroll in local Mental Health First Aid courses learn a five-step action plan to help loved ones, colleagues, neighbors, and others cope with mental health or substance use problems.

Like traditional First Aid and CPR, Mental Health First Aid is help provided to a person developing a mental health problem or experiencing a crisis until professional treatment is obtained or the crisis resolves.

Mental Health First Aid is an evidence-based public education and prevention tool – it improves the public’s knowledge of mental health and substance use problems and connects people with care for their mental health or substance use problems.

Compeer offers trainings throughout the community and will also coordinate trainings for specific groups – including, but not limited to, work sites, colleges, churches, schools, and law enforcement.

For information on scheduling a Mental Health First Aid training contact Katie Walsh, Director of Mental Health Education, by emailing her at katie@compeerbuffalo.org or 716.883.3331.

Also, for more information on Mental Health First Aid, visit www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org.

Similar to ‘First Aid’ and CPR, ‘Mental Health First Aid’ teaches individuals how to help those experiencing mental health challenges or crises.

Compeer’s Purpose: Champion Mental Wellbeing. Connect People. Build Relationships… One Friend at a Time.

Values: Mental Wellbeing • Inclusion • Trust & Transparency • Integrity • Curiosity

Since 1985, Compeer Buffalo has been providing social support in the form of friendships, to individuals (age 6 and up) who are striving for mental wellbeing. We know that friendship decreases loneliness and isolation, therefore we offer 1:1 friendship, social engagement activities, school-based mentoring, and mental health education in our community.

Social Work student thriving in school-based mental health internship
Elliot Sommers, a senior, is mentoring high school students in an internship through the Buffalo, NY-based Compeer mental health program.