NEO MHAT
Kent State University’s Center for Public Policy and Health in the College of Public Health was recently awarded $600,000 in grant funding by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration to support the Northeast Ohio Mental Health Awareness Training (NEO MHAT).
Using evidence-based mental health awareness training and community resource education, NEO MHAT will train teachers and relevant school personnel to connect children and youth in a school setting to appropriate mental health resources. In addition, NEO MHAT will provide education on appropriate resources available in the community. These trainings are available at no cost to any member school districts of the Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio or Stark County Educational Service Center.
Since October 1st, 2023, our funds have trained over 700 teachers and school personnel in mental health awareness trainings!
Please note, we are currently scheduling trainings through September 2026.
Trainings offered by NEO MHAT:
Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR): Learn how to recognize the warning signs of suicide, how to talk to the person in crisis, and how to refer them to resources (60-90 minutes).
Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA): Learn how to identify, understand, and respond to an adolescent (ages 12-18) who may be experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge (6.5 hours). This is a blended training that requires two-hours of pre-work. This training requires a class minimum of five people, and a maximum of 30.
Awareness. Interaction. Direction. (A.I.D.): Learn how to recognize the signs and symptoms of students in distress, how to effectively interact with students who are in distress, and how to locate and provide resources to students in distress (60-90 minutes). Add a 30-minute self-care component, making this a 90-minute training.
- Our A.I.D. training was developed by faculty and staff in the Center for Public Policy and Health, and has been found to be an effective mental health awareness training. Read our article; Awareness. Interaction. Direction. (A.I.D.): evaluation of a novel mental health awareness training, published in Advances in Mental Health, to learn more.
Awareness. Interaction. Direction. (A.I.D.) for Coaches: This training provides coaches with the knowledge, skills, and resources to actively assist youth and young adults in mental distress. A.I.D. for Coaches is approved by ODE to fulfill the new mental health awareness training requirement issued in October of 2023 (60 minutes).
Or email Kayla Marker (kmarker@kent.edu) to schedule a training for your school.
Please note, we are currently scheduling trainings through September 2026.
Upcoming Trainings:
Wednesday, January 22nd, 2025 AID for Coaches, Virtual | 12pm - 1pm
Tuesday, February 11th, 2025 AID for Coaches, Virtual | 9am - 10am
Tuesday, March 18th, 2025 AID for Coaches, Virtual | 12pm - 1pm
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025 AID for Coaches, Virtual | 4pm - 5pm
Wednesday, May 14th, 2025 AID for Coaches, Virtual | 12pm - 1pm
REGISTER FOR UPCOMING TRAININGS
Mental Health Resource & Referral Guide
NEO MHAT is a collaborative project with the Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio; Stark County Educational Service Center; Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board of Cuyahoga County; and Stark County Mental Health and Addiction Recovery. The project spans 69 school districts in nine counties in Northeast Ohio, including large cities like Cleveland and Akron. The nine counties are Carroll, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Portage, Stark, Summit, Tuscarawas and Wayne.
For information on Hear to Help for NEO MHAT, visit Hear to Help Our Communities.
For information of State and National Mental Health Resources, visit www.kent.edu/h2h-resources.
The Principal Investigator for the grant is Dr. Diana Kingsbury-Patel, Project Coordinator in Kent State’s Center for Public Policy and Health.
This webpage and resources listed on this page were developed in part under grant number H79SM088275-01 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The views, policies, and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of SAMHSA or HHS.
