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ALTON - OSF St. Anthony’s will host a free Mental Health First Aid training for community members.
On July 10, 2026, Riverbend residents can join a hybrid Mental Health First Aid training to learn how to respond when someone is having a mental health or substance use crisis. Rachel Yuhas, LCPC with OSF St. Anthony’s, shared that the goal is to help community members look out for each other.
“Really, we just wanted to provide education to the community, provide resources to the community for a mental health crisis or a substance use crisis, just to really give people the tools to help other people who are struggling,” Yuhas said. “We can all relate to some degree and empathize and imagine.”
The Mental Health First Aid training, valued at $170 per person, is offered for free through the OSF St. Anthony’s Health Center Foundation. This training is hybrid, so participants will complete 2.5 hours virtually on their own time at least a week prior to the in-person training at OSF St. Anthony’s, which takes 5.5 hours.
Yuhas explained that participants will learn early warning signs of a mental health or substance use challenge, how to respond in a crisis situation, and what resources to offer someone who is struggling.
“You’ll learn early warning signs. You’ll learn when to call for immediate assistance versus, okay, I can just provide some resources,” she said. “Really, we want people to know that we’re not there to fix the whole situation. You are there just to support that person and help them kind of get to the next step that they need to be at.”
After the course, participants will be certified in Mental Health First Aid, which is an increasingly popular skill to have. Yuhas noted that anybody could benefit from the training, but it’s especially helpful for those who work with the public, including law enforcement, firefighters, EMS personnel, teachers, healthcare workers and others.
To sign up for the Mental Health First Aid training on July 10, click here. OSF St. Anthony’s will offer another hybrid training on July 25; you can call the Psychological Services Department at 618-474-6240 for more information.
Yuhas added that the Psychological Services Department at St. Anthony’s employs eight therapists who offer individual, family and group counseling. They also have several therapy groups available. Yuhas herself specializes in obsessive-compulsive disorder in adolescents and young adults, but she shared that all of the therapists are “generalists” and eager to help no matter what your situation is.
To start your mental health journey, call 618-474-6240 to inquire about becoming a client or to complete an intake so you can join a therapy group at OSF St. Anthony’s Health Center.
If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
