Welcome to the next in our “MESSH Moment of the Month” series that will continue until camp begins again because our Harlam community matters to us all year long. This blog is written by Cori Miller, who oversees Camp Harlam’s Camper Care department that focuses on supporting the Mental, Emotional, Social and Spiritual Health (MESSH) needs of everyone in the Harlam community. Cori is also a licensed social worker in Pennsylvania and a National Instructor for Youth Mental Health First Aid.
DURING MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH WE ARE EXCITED TO BE SHARING DETAILS ABOUT AN EVIDENCED BASED MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING CLASS FOR FAMILIES THIS SUMMER! Learn great skills to aid your parenting efforts by participating in a FREE Youth Mental Health First Aid training that is also used to best prepare our staff members to support your children during the summer.
Youth Mental Health First Aid is a training overseen by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and results in a 3 year certification as a mental health first aider. The course consists of 2 hours of online pre-work followed by a 4.5 hour live zoom training session scheduled for either Sunday, July 10th (8AM-12:30PM) or Thursday, July 14th (5PM-9:30PM). Cori Miller, a licensed social worker and member of our Professional Staff, is certified as Mental Health First Aid Trainer by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and joins a team of instructors across the country in delivering this training that teaches participants to be first responders to someone showing signs of emotional distress in both crisis and non-crisis situations. You can read more about the National Council’s evidence-based training by clicking here. Cori will be leading this training with a colleague who is also a part of the National Council’s network of trainers. We are fortunate to be able to offer this program free of charge to the Harlam community due to a generous grant from the Jewish Teen Funder Collaborative. If you would like to participate in the program, we encourage you to complete this registration prior to June 1st, as space is limited.
Camp Harlam has long prioritized the wellbeing of those in our community. Over the years, we have refined and improved the systems in place to support both camper and staff mental, emotional, social, and spiritual health (MESSH) and given the current climate and the mental health epidemic this country is now facing, we feel proud of our ongoing efforts to not only support our staff and campers during camp, but to continue caring for those in our communities when they return home. And this care extends to you, our Harlam families, and we are excited to offer you this unique opportunity! We believe that attending this training will best equip you to help your children to feel seen and heard, strengthen your ability to support the people you care about, and further your knowledge about mental health and wellbeing.