Monthly Mental Health Newsletter & Minute

Helpline Center’s monthly Mental Health Newsletter is your go-to destination for all things mental health.

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What to Expect:

1. Mental Health Minute: A one page document you can share with employees, students, and others that is full of relevant mental health information and self-care tips.
2. Social Media Shareables: Premade content related to mental health and wellness you can share on your social media pages or advertise around your organization.
3. Featured Trainings: Know about upcoming trainings or request one for your organization.
4. Featured Content: Gain valuable insights on 211, 988, and all the great programs at Helpline Center.
5. Order Materials: Easy access to order materials related to 988, 211, or suicide loss support.

Stay updated with our Mental Health Minute, where we deliver bite-sized insights and tips for nurturing your emotional well-being. Dive into expert advice on managing stress, enhancing resilience, and fostering self-care practices. Join our community committed to prioritizing mental health, one minute at a time.

QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) – 1 to 2 hour training

QPR stands for Question, Persuade and Refer, three steps anyone can learn to help prevent suicide. Just like CPR, QPR is an emergency response to someone in crisis and can save lives. In this free one to two-hour training, participants first learn about the nature of suicidal communications, what forms these communications take, and how they may be used as a stimulus for a QPR intervention.

QPR offers specialty modules in: School Health Professionals; Farmers; School Setting; Native American; Late Life Suicide; Residential; Law Enforcement & Emergency Service Professionals; and Youth.

Register for upcoming free QPR Trainings:

June 28 – Huron

August 18 – Rapid City

Mental Health First Aid – 8 hour training

Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders. This free training gives you the skills you need to reach out and provide initial support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem and help connect them to the appropriate care.

Two Learning Options

Blended Learning. After completing a 2-hour, self-paced class, First Aiders will participate in a 4-hour, in-person, Instructor-led class.

In-person. First Aiders will receive their training as an 8-hour, Instructor-led, in-person course.

Who Should Take it

• Employers
• Police officers
• Hospital staff
• First responders
• Faith leaders
• Community members
• Caring individuals

What it Covers

• Common signs and symptoms of mental illness
• Common signs and symptoms of substance use
• How to interact with a person in crisis
• How to connect the person with help
• NEW: Expanded content on trauma, addiction and self-care

Mental Health First Aid offers specialty modules in: Higher Education; Military Members, Veterans & Their Families; Public Safety; Older Adults; and Rural Communities

Register now for the free MHFA Trainings:

July 10 – Sioux Falls

August 19 & 20 – Rapid City

Youth Mental Health First Aid – 6.5 hour training

Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches participants how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders in youth. This 6.5-hour training gives adults who work with youth the skills they need to reach out and provide initial support to children and adolescents (ages 6-18) who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem and help connect them to the appropriate care.

Two Learning Options

Blended Learning. After completing a 2-hour, self-paced online class, First Aiders will participate in a 4-hour, in-person, Instructor-led class.

In-person. First Aiders will receive their training as a 6.5-hour Instructor-led in-person course.

Who Should Take it                                                    

• Teachers
• School staff
• Coaches
• Camp counselors
• Youth group leaders
• Parents
• People who work with youth

What it Covers

• Common signs and symptoms of mental illness in this age group, including
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Eating disorders
  • Attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD)
• Common signs and symptoms of substance use
• How to interact with a child or adolescent in crisis
• How to connect the person with help
• NEW: Expanded content on trauma, addiction and self-care and the impact of social media and bullying

Contact us to schedule a YMHFA Training!

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) – 2 day training

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is for anyone—regardless of prior experience—who wants to be able to provide suicide first aid. Shown by major studies to significantly reduce suicidality, the ASIST model teaches effective intervention skills while helping to build suicide prevention networks in the community. This is a 2-day training.

Check back soon for future dates of the next ASIST training.

CALM: Counseling on Access to Lethal Means

CALM Clinical

The Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) Clinical Workshop is a 3.5-hour training that aims to help those in mental health, medical, and human service professions to counsel individuals and their families to temporarily reduce access to firearms and dangerous medications during times of heightened suicide risk.

Workshop participants will:

-Be able to provide a rationale for using means safety interventions

-Articulate multiple options for increasing the safety of firearm storage

-Outline steps for reducing access to dangerous doses of medication

-Practice conducting means safety interventions with at-risk individuals and their families through case discussions and role plays

The use of means safety interventions is an important tool to keep individuals at risk safe during times of crisis. The CALM Clinical Workshop prepares clinicians to have collaborative and effective conversations about the safe storage of medications—the most common method of suicide attempt—and firearms—the most common method of suicide. For more information, please go to our website at calmamerica.org.

CALM Conversations

Conversations on Access to Lethal Means (CALM Conversations) Many people do not access behavioral or physical health care despite having thoughts of or being at risk of suicide. Yet many of them signal to others – directly or indirectly – that they are struggling. This workshop is designed to provide friends, family and others with information on how recognize and respond to suicide risk with an additional focus on reducing access to lethal means – especially firearms. Participants learn how to talk with someone who might be having these thoughts in a collaborative, non-judgmental and supportive manner.

CALM Conversations is divided into four sections. In Section 1, participants learn basic facts and misconceptions about suicide, common risk factors and warning signs, and the importance of means safety in keeping at-risk individuals safe. In Section 2, participants learn to ask about mood and suicide, with opportunities to practice asking questions in their own words. Section 3 focuses on connecting at-risk individuals to both formal and informal sources of support. Section 4 focuses on discussing means safety and making the environment safer for the at-risk individual until their mood state improves.

CALM Conversations is intended for a general audience and requires no prior training in mental health or suicide prevention. The workshop is 90 minutes in length.

Check back for class dates.

Helpline Center University

This free course is aimed at professionals in the social service sector to learn how to utilize the online Community Directory tools to connect individuals to resources in their community.

The course provides a brief history of the Helpline Center and the current services offered today. As well as an online Community Directory tutorial, the course reviews how to leverage the Create Your Own Guide tool to build comprehensive Resource Lists for your clients.

What you’ll learn

• History of the Helpline Center
• Current core services at the Helpline Center
• How to navigate the online Community Directory tools
• How to use the Create Your Own Guide tool

Take The Course Here!

Surviving After Suicide Class

Being a survivor of suicide loss is complex and can feel lonely; one can be left with unanswered questions and conflicting emotions. The Surviving After Suicide Class is a ten week education and support based class for adults that is designed to support survivors as they express and seek to understand the powerful grief they experience. These classes are only offered in-person and in the Sioux Falls office at the Helpline Center. Each class focuses on a unique aspect of survivor grief and is followed by a support session allowing members to share their stories. The supportive mourning process is guided by a book and a journal written by Dr. Alan D. Wolfelt that includes practical strategies for coping and healing.

“To integrate your grief into your life, you must experience enough safety to feel your feelings” – Dr. Alan D Wolfelt

In this class, you will experience a safe and confidential setting that will allow you to be open and honest about your own thoughts and feelings.

There is no fee for the class or materials. Must be 18 years old to attend. Registration is required, you can do so below for the next class session. Classes are held beginning in January, April, and September in Sioux Falls (virtual classes not available at this time).

Next Class Session Starting:
Tuesday, September 9 – 6:30pm-8:00pm

Email Helpline Center for more information: griefsupport@helplinecenter.org

Means Safety Training – 1 hour training

In this training session, participants will delve into the crucial aspects of suicide safety planning and means safety. Designed to equip individuals with the knowledge and skills needed to provide effective support, this training focuses on fostering a safer environment for those at suicide risk.

Safety Planning: