Later this fall, the community is invited to take part in a special training aimed at helping people identify mental health issues. It will be held at the Santa Maria Public Library.
“We all know people who struggle with mental health issues and suicide is a part of that sometimes, and so we actually do role plays after we do the training, the presentation,” said Sandy Rives, LEAD Outreach and Presentation Coordinator at Transitions-Mental Health Association.
According to a 2023 report from the Office of Suicide Prevention, in California, suicide was the second leading cause of death for people between the ages of 10 to 25 between 2019 and 2021.
Mira Green is a trainer with Transitions-Mental Health Association and says it’s important for people to be able to effectively communicate with anyone who may be going through a difficult time.
“Going in with empathy and going in with compassion and hopefully if you, you know, have a prior relationship to that person with an understanding of their situation and that's really the best way to approach somebody,” Green said.
The training is happening on October 19. To register, click here.
