MHAA for Employment Support Professionals

The Mental Health Awareness and Action (MHAA) curriculum helps participants learn three processes:

1. identify warning signs of mental health concerns,
2. locate high-quality mental health resources, and
3. respond to those who are experiencing mental health concerns.

Through engaging in interactive activities, the MHAA trainings help participants notice and respond to warning signs of mental health concerns and refer those who are experiencing mental health concerns to high-quality, evidence-based resources. The primary purpose of this training is to educate and increase the confidence of community members so they can help prevent mental health concerns from occurring or worsening.

For ESPs who help people with disabilities juggle mental health and work experiences, you'll learn facts about mental health concerns and pair them with practical skills to give you the confidence to speak up, support others, and prioritize your own well-being.

By the end of this training, you should be able to:

1. State how common mental health concerns are in the United States.
2. Distinguish strengths-based approaches from deficits-based approaches.
3. Distinguish intellectual and developmental disabilities from mental health concerns.
4. Better recognize signs of distress in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and better label mental health concerns (e.g., depression, anxiety, psychosis, and suicidality) that may be contributing to distress.
5. Distinguish evidence-based resources from non-evidence-based resources.
6. Locate mental health services and providers in your area.
7. Feel more confident discussing mental health with others and setting boundaries (i.e., what you’re comfortable talking about and helping with and what you’re not comfortable with).
8. Refer individuals experiencing mental health concerns to appropriate resources.