Highland Rivers Behavioral Health issued the following announcement about training it is making available through a new program:

Highland Rivers Behavioral Health is capping Mental Health Awareness Month with the launch of a new community training initiative. The Highland Rivers Connect Training Institute will offer trainings on a variety of behavioral health topics, providing ‘practical mental health knowledge for people and professionals.’

Established through a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Highland Rivers Connect will offer low-cost or no-cost trainings on topics including suicide prevention, crisis intervention and de-escalation, mental health first aid, understanding substance use, and more – as well as continuing education (CE) courses for professionals. Presentations and trainings can also be custom-designed to meet the needs of almost any group.

“As a state-designated behavioral health authority, and one of the largest public behavioral healthcare providers in Georgia, we believe it is vital to our mission to increase awareness and knowledge of behavioral health in the communities we serve,” said Melanie Dallas, CEO of Highland Rivers Behavioral Health. “The fact is, we have highly experienced and extremely knowledgeable staff; Highland Rivers Connect will help connect our communities with that expertise, increasing familiarity, understanding and skills.”

As part of the Connect initiative, Highland Rivers has established a speakers’ bureau with experts from across the agency who can conduct trainings or provide presentations in the community. Trainings and presentations can be designed for law enforcement agencies, municipal government leaders, first responders and behavioral health providers – as well as for community, civic and faith groups, local businesses, human resource professionals, and schools (including students of all ages, staff and administrators).

The Highland Rivers Connect Training Institute website (https://highlandrivers-connect.org) lists available trainings, continuing education (CE) offerings, and the speakers’ bureau, as well as a section on how local employers can become a recovery friendly workplace. Groups interested in a training or presentation not listed are encouraged to email the Connect Training Institute at connect@highlandrivers.org to discuss their wishes – staff experts are able to meet almost all requests, from very basic presentations to complex and specific professional trainings. The website will be updated as new trainings are added and with quarterly calendars of CE trainings.