The Mental Health Training and Technical Assistance provides training opportunities to build the knowledge and skills of anyone who hopes to promote mental health and wellness, effectively intervene with people experiencing mental health challenges, and support suicide prevention efforts

Mental Health Training and Technical Assistance

Training Events

Our training events (in person and virtually) are offered throughout the fiscal year. To find the next scheduled event, search below. Training on demand (self-paced) can be found via search or browsing through the recorded webinar descriptions below. To schedule an event, contact mhrc@prevention.org.

Live Training: Classroom (In Person or Virtual) and Webinars

April Power Hour: Stress Awareness Month

Join Prevention First's Mental Health Training & Technical Assistance team for a Power Hour Session during Stress Awareness Month. In this session, we will have an interactive discussion on ways to reduce stress in our suicide prevention and mental health work and ways we can collaborate to create healthier communities.

Search below for upcoming dates.

June Power Hour: Pride and Men's Mental Health Awareness Month

Join Prevention First's Mental Health Training & Technical Assistance Team for a Power Hour Session during Pride and Men's Mental Health Awareness Month. In this session, we will have an interactive discussion on ways to support LGBTQIA+ people and men in the unique struggles those populations face with their mental health.

Search below for upcoming dates. 

May Power Hour: Mental Health Awareness Month

Join Prevention First's Mental Health Training & Technical Assistance team for a Power Hour Session during Mental Health Awareness Month. In this session, we will have an interactive discussion on how to navigate mental health stigma and the importance of mental health awareness in schools and communities.

Search below for upcoming dates.

Mental Health First Aid

Mental Health First Aid mentalhealthfirstaid.org/  
Adult, Youth, & Teen 
Mental Health First Aid is a course that teaches you how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. The training gives you the skills you need to reach out and provide initial help and support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem or experiencing a crisis. Learn more about Adult MHFA, Youth MHFA, and Teen MHFA.

Search below for upcoming dates. 

Motivational Interviewing in Youth Suicide Prevention

Join Prevention First's Mental Health and Technical Assistance Team as we host a webinar on Motivational Interviewing (MI) with a focus on youth suicide prevention. During this webinar, we will be discussing different ways to encourage engagement and rapport-building with youth who may be struggling with their mental health or experiencing suicidal ideation. 

Search below for upcoming dates.

Navigating Outpatient Suicide-Focused Care for Youth After Hospitalization

Join Prevention First and AllianceChicago for an interactive webinar as we discuss appropriate, evidence-based ways to navigate re-entry for youth after hospitalization for suicide across various settings. 

Objectives: 

By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

1. Discuss how and when outpatient suicide-focused care is appropriate after hospitalization

2. Engage youth in conversation about digital re-entry after hospitalization


Search below for upcoming dates.

Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR)

QPR qprinstitute.com/  
QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. Just as people trained in CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. Each year, thousands of Americans like you are saying “Yes” to saving the life of a friend, colleague, sibling, or neighbor. QPR can be learned in our Gatekeeper course in about one hour. Learn more about QPR. 

Search below for upcoming dates. 

safeTALK

safeTALK livingworks.net/training/livingworks-safetalk/  
LivingWorks safeTALK is a four-hour training that equips people to be more alert to someone thinking of suicide and better able to connect them with further help. Using a simple yet effective model, LivingWorks safeTALK empowers everyone to make a difference. With over 120,000 people attending each year, it’s the world’s fastest-growing suicide prevention skills training course. Learn more about safeTALK.

Search below for upcoming dates. 

Recorded Webinars

Navigating Cross-Cultural Communication about Mental Health

This webinar was recorded on January 29, 2025. CEUs are not available for recorded webinars.

Stigma around mental health challenges can vary by community or cultural background. Dr. Fenton and Dr. Huber discuss different ways to communicate with youth and families about mental health using an approach of cultural humility. This is the first in our webinar series aimed to address suicide prevention best practices, strategies, and innovative ideas.

View Recording


Virtual Classroom

April Power Hour: Stress Awareness Month

Monday, April 14, 2025
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Online
Description

Join Prevention First's Mental Health Training & Technical Assistance team for a Power Hour Session during Stress Awareness Month. In this session, we will have an interactive discussion on ways to reduce stress in our suicide prevention and mental health work and ways we can collaborate to create healthier communities. 

Read More
Live Webinar

Navigating Outpatient Suicide-Focused Care for Youth after Hospitalization

Tuesday, April 22, 2025
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Online
Description

Join Prevention First and AllianceChicago for an interactive webinar as we discuss appropriate, evidence-based ways to navigate re-entry for youth after hospitalization for suicide across various settings. 

Objectives: 

By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to -

1. Discuss how and when outpatient suicide-focused care is appropriate after hospitalization

2. Engage youth in conversation about digital re-entry after hospitalization

 

Dr. Jonathan B. Singer, Ph.D., LCSW is a professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work and host of the award-winning Social Work Podcast. Dr. Singer is a well-regarded international speaker who has given hundreds of continuing education workshops, keynote addresses, and presentations on youth suicide, ethics, technology, adolescent development and attachment-based family therapy in the USA, Latin America, and Europe. He is the author of 100 publications and his research has been featured in national and international media outlets like NPR, BBC, Fox, Time Magazine, and The Guardian. Dr. Singer is the founder and host of the award-winning Social Work Podcast, the first podcast for and by social workers, with over 8 million downloads, and 55,000 followers across 208 countries and territories, for which he was named an NASW Social Work Pioneer in 2023. In 2024 he was inducted as a Fellow of the Society for Social Work and Research. He lives in Evanston, IL with his wife and three kids and can be found on way too many social media platforms. 

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Virtual Classroom

May Power Hour: Mental Health Awareness Month

Monday, May 12, 2025
01:30 PM - 02:30 PM
Online
Description

Join Prevention First's Mental Health Training & Technical Assistance team for a Power Hour Session during Mental Health Awareness Month. In this session, we will have an interactive discussion on how to navigate mental health stigma and the importance of mental health awareness in schools and communities.

Read More
Live Webinar

Associations Between Substance Use, Suicide Risk, and Mental Health

Monday, May 19, 2025
01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Online
Description

Join Prevention First's Mental Health and Technical Assistance Team as we host a webinar on associations between substance use, suicide, and mental health. During this webinar, we will be discussing ways substance use is a risk factor for suicide and negative mental health outcomes. 

Objectives:

  • Participants will understand the concept of "alcohol myopia" as a risk factor for suicide. 
  • Participants will be able to describe at least two ways that substance use and mental health outcomes are related.
  • Participants will be able to identify at least one resource for evidence-based strategies related to prevention and intervention options.

 

Dr. Jason R. Kilmer, Ph.D., is a professor of Psychology, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Dr. Kilmer's focus has primarily been the development, implementation, and evaluation of brief interventions and prevention efforts to reduce alcohol and other drug-related harms among college students and other young adults. He has more than 20 years of experience conducting research on substance use disorder etiology and prevention with high school students, college students, and young adults. 

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Virtual Classroom

June Power Hour: Pride and Men's Mental Health Awareness Month

Monday, June 16, 2025
12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Online
Description

Join Prevention First's Mental Health Training & Technical Assistance Team for a Power Hour Session during Pride and Men's Mental Health Awareness Month. In this session, we will have an interactive discussion on ways to support LGBTQIA+ people and men in the unique struggles those populations face with their mental health. 

Read More
Recorded Webinar

Navigating Cross-Cultural Communication about Mental Health (Recording)

Online
Description

This webinar was recorded on January 29, 2025. CEUs are not available for recorded webinars.

Stigma around mental health challenges can vary by community or cultural background. Dr. Fenton and Dr. Huber discuss different ways to communicate with youth and families about mental health using an approach of cultural humility. This is the first in our webinar series aimed to address suicide prevention best practices, strategies, and innovative ideas.

 

 

Dr. Rebekah Fenton, MD, MPH, FAAP, is a general pediatrician and adolescent medicine specialist. She is an emerging leader in health equity focused medicine through her passionate care for marginalized youth, speaking and writing-based advocacy, and innovative leadership.

Dr. Brenda Huber, PhD - Experienced leader and systems consultant with a demonstrated history of working in higher education and multiple child-serving sectors. Having served as a school psychologist and an outpatient therapist, she currently provides systems-consultation to communities engaging in collaborative and innovative solutions to children's mental health needs. 

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