Training Community Leaders in Trauma-Informed Care and Mental Health First Aid

The Public Health Institute’s Cypress Resilience Project is dedicated to supporting community and individual resilience by building people’s capacity and skills to be able to manage trauma, experience grief and navigate mental health challenges. The Cypress Resilience Project offers these skills and tools to individuals and organizations, and provide trainings in over 20 topics including Mental Health First Aid, trauma, toxic stress, self-care, grief recovery and more. 

As of December 2022, 3,159 people have been certified in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and 13,809 have been trained in trauma-informed practices and grief support skills. In 2022 alone, Cypress Resilience Project certified 1,270 people in Mental Health First Aid. 

A vast majority (89%) who attended the trainings led by the Cypress Resilience project staff found them to be very helpful, both professionally and personally. Training participants offered an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 when it came to offering feedback about the instructors.

In 2022, the Cypress Resilience Project expanded their efforts and offered Mental Health First Aid trainings to mono-lingual Spanish speakers for the first time. Project staff also learned how to deliver the Mental Health First Aid trainings and ensure that they were accessible in an online format to people experiencing low-vision or blindness.

Through all of these efforts, the Cypress Resilience Project formed new partnerships—working with additional community-based organizations, supporting high need communities, working with professionals at all levels to dealing with burn-out and new areas that are focused on supporting refugees.

A version of this story first appeared in a Cypress Resilience Project newsletter.