Mental Health First Aid Information
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) at Saint Louis University is a skills-based training course that teaches participants about mental health and substance-use challenges. Just as CPR helps you assist an individual having a medical emergency, Mental Health First Aid helps you assist someone experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis.
- Depression
- Anxiety disorders
- Trauma
- Psychosis
- Substance use disorders
- Common signs and symptoms of mental illness
- How to interact with a person in crisis
- How to connect the person with help
- Expanded content on trauma, addiction and self-care
Registration
SLU offers training for faculty, staff and students. Individuals can register themselves or groups can register to train their entire organization or department (max of 30 participants at a time).
Faculty/Staff Sessions
Group sessions are available. If you have a group of 10 or more and would like to train as a group, please complete this Google form.
Hear about the benefits of Mental Health First Aid training from campus leaders and participants.
1,386 Total Trained in the SLU Community
Students
Faculty and Staff
SLU Mental Health First Aid Instructors
We have eight SLU faculty and staff trained to facilitate Mental Health First Aid across campus:
Tori Harwood
Program coordinator
Campus Recreation and Wellness
Associate professor
Physical Therapy
Bill Bowey
Assistant director
Office of Student Responsibility and Community Standards
Erica McBride
Program coordinator II - student support
VP Diversity and Community Engagement
Shannon Cooper-Sadlo
Program director
SSW-Social Work
Katie Heiden-Rootes
Faculty fellow for equity issues
Medical Family Therapy-Administration
Rachel Donahue
Wellness coordinator
Compensation and Benefits
Johsiey Litherland
Public safety training and accreditation manager
Department of Public Safety
Teagan Schwab
Learning community academic coordinator
Department of Housing and Residential Life
Counselor
University Counseling Center
Hear From Participants
Mental Health First Aid has taught me skills that I can use when helping a friend or classmate through a mental health concern. I feel more prepared to assist someone if I ever have to.”
Student participant
MHFA was very helpful in increasing my skills to support our students, faculty, or staff. After taking the course, I find it will be very beneficial to our SLU community.”
Faculty participant
Acknowledgment of Grantors’ Support
Saint Louis University is grateful for the support of the Patrick P. Lee Foundation and the Boniface Foundation for their generous grants, which support mental health first aid training for our SLU community. We share their commitment to mental health and well-being for individuals and communities.