Mental health training set on Peninsula
PORT ANGELES — Peninsula Behavioral Health is offering Mental Health First Aid training to the Olympic Peninsula this fall.
Professionals, community members, family members and other interested parties who wish to improve their mental health literacy will be trained to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness.
“We are really excited about bringing Mental Health First Aid to our community,” said Peter Casey, executive director.
“This important meducational effort goes a lot further than emergency intervention; it really helps people understand the shroud of fear and misjudgment facing individuals and families who experience mental illness and addiction,” Casey said.
“It will help reduce the stigma associated with mental illness and move more people toward recovery.”
Mental Health First Aid is an eight-hour training certification course that teaches participants a five-step action plan to assess a situation, select and implement interventions, provide referrals and secure appropriate care for the individual.
Registration is ongoing, and the enrollment fee is $60.
Mental Health First Aid was introduced to the U.S. in 2008 by the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare.
In its pilot year, the program was introduced in nearly 20 states and more than 40 communities nationwide.
Peninsula Behavioral Health is certified by the National Council to provide the Mental Health First Aid program and maintains fidelity to the original, proven program, the organization says.
For more information or to participate in Mental Health First Aid training in Port Angeles, visit peninsulabehavioral.org or phone Julie Calabria at Peninsula Behavioral Health at 360-457-0431, ext. 158.
Woodworkers club
PORT ANGELES — The Peninsula Woodworkers Club will meet at Hillcrest Baptist Church, 205 Black Diamond Road, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday (Oct. 3).
The club provides a forum for woodworkers to exchange ideas, show projects and discuss techniques.
Those interested in woodworking are welcome to attend.
Coffee with mayor
SEQUIM — Mayor Ken Hays will continue the “Coffee with the Mayor” program in October.
Sequim residents can meet informally with Hays this Thursday (Oct. 3) and Thursday, Oct. 17, at 8 a.m. at Tarcisio’s restaurant, 609 W. Washington St.
Hays will be at a different location each month, along with a notepad to take notes and listen to anyone who wants to chat, ask questions, express a concern or make a comment about the city or the community.
For more information, phone Hays at 360-460-6231 or email khays@sequimwa.gov.
Discussion group
SEQUIM — The Sequim Great Decisions Discussion Group will discuss “Assessing Threats to the U.S.” from 10 a.m. to noon Friday (Oct. 4)
The group will meet at the Sequim Library, 630 N. Sequim Ave.
Group members will discuss “how can the United States address the challenges of a weak economy, homegrown terrorism and nuclear proliferation, and what threats and opportunities are presented by the ascendancy of China and by regime change in the Middle East?”
Discussion topics, which concern domestic and foreign policy issues, are taken from the Foreign Policy Association’s Great Decisions 2013 Briefing Book and from Foreign Affairs, the bimonthly publication of the
Council on Foreign Relations.
New members are welcome, and details can be found at http://tinyurl.com/pdn-GreatDecisions.
