Tuesday, May 6, 2025
5/6/2025
C4's Mental Health First Aid Training Program - Community Counseling Centers of Chicago (C4) will provide youth-focused Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Training to Chicago communities including schools, parents/families and to other social services organizations. C4's program expects to increase mental health literacy among youth-serving adults, parents, and administrators of programs serving youth in Chicago and to train 900 individuals in Youth MHFA over the course of three years. The target geographic catchment areas to be served are the City of Chicago communities, especially high need areas. The project will link adolescents with behavioral health issues to mental, emotional, and behavioral health assistance and services. The project will also increase C4's number of collaborative partnerships with relevant youth-serving community agencies and programs. The goals of the program will be to: Support the training of school teachers, and a broad array of individuals who interact with youth through their programs at the community level, including parents, and other adults, in Youth Mental Health First Aid that includes recognizing the signs and symptoms of mental illness, particularly, serious mental illness (SMI) and/or serious emotional disturbance (SED); and identifying resources available in the community for youth with a mental illness. Identify the intended individuals to receive Youth Mental Health First Aid Training to be trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental illness and how to appropriately and safely respond. Establish referral mechanisms that increase the ability of individuals trained in mental health awareness to refer and link youth with a mental illness or SMI/SED to mental health resources and services. Community Counseling Centers of Chicago (C4) is a leading provider of community-based mental health services in Illinois offering a comprehensive range of mental health and crisis intervention services to over 7,000 children, adults and families each year. C4 was the first agency in Chicago to have staff trained in 2008. C4 has successfully trained over 3,000 individuals in Mental Health First Aid. Activities to successfully deliver 12 MHFA training sessions per year (36 sessions over three years) to 900 individuals (300 per year) include: certifying eight trainers as MHFA instructors through Mental Heath First Aid USA ; organizing, scheduling and delivering Youth MHFA training throughout the City of Chicago; and promoting Youth MHFA training to interested individuals who work directly with youth and their families. MHFA training will be offered in English and Spanish.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).