Free Mental Health Training For Morris County Residents To Be Held September 27, 29

A nonprofit organization in Parsippany will be offering free training sessions for people interested in understanding and learning more about mental illness. The classes will help attendees learn to identify, understand, and respond appropriately to signs of mental illnesses like depression, anxiety disorders, trauma, and psychosis, in addition to substance abuse.

“With one in four American adults affected by some type of mental illness, people need to learn how to help a person in crisis,’’ said NewBridge Chief Executive Officer Robert L. Parker. “We want people to be able to intervene in a mental health crisis, much the way do in a medical crisis by doing CPR.”

NewBridge Services will be holding the training sessions later this month, on September 27 and 29, at the NewBridge Parsippany Center to all Morris County residents. According to the organization, more than 660,000 people nationwide have taken the MHFA training, and the goal is for more than 1 million people to be MHFA responders.

The Morris County Freeholders proclaimed September as “Recovery Month in Morris County,’’ part of a national observance held each September to educate all residents that substance use treatment and mental health services can enable persons dealing with those problems to live healthy and rewarding lives.

“National Recovery Month celebrates the gains made by those in recovery here Morris County, just as we celebrate health improvements made by those who are managing other health conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes and heart disease," said Freeholder Director Kathy DeFillippo.

Headquartered in Pequannock, NewBridge offers counseling, housing and education to people suffering mental illness and substance abuse addition. The nonprofit has 36 sites throughout Morris, Passaic, and Sussex counties, including locations in Boonton, Flanders, Montville, Pompton Lakes, Pompton Plains, Sparta, Wayne and West Milford.

To participate in these free events on either Tuesday, Sept. 27 or Thursday, Sept. 29, contact Mary Vineis, NewBridge director of Community Response and Education, at mvineis@newbridge.org or by calling 973-316-9333. Sessions run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The NewBridge Parsippany Center is located in the Troy Office Centre, 1259 Rt. 46 East, Building 2.