The HOPE Program returns to provide mental health training for members of the CPH community
April 16, 2025 • News
Today, one in 25 Americans live with a mental illness. According to Mental Health America, over half of adults with a mental illness do not receive treatment, totaling over 28 million individuals. These are just a few recent statistics that represent the state of mental health in the United States. In March, the Helping Our People Everyday (HOPE) Program from UNT Dallas returned to UNTHSC to provide a mental health training for the CPH community.
The Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) certification teaches professionals how to develop skills to provide initial support to someone developing a mental health or substance use problem. This course seeks to start and continue conversations about mental health in our communities with intent to break the stigma that surrounds it.
Acknowledging mental health stigma allows us to improve the language surrounding it when responding to someone with a mental illness. For example, instead of referring to an individual as “mentally ill,” it is encouraged to refer to them as “a person with a mental illness.” This is a crucial step toward dismantling stigma which is a significant barrier to mental health care access.
More than four million people across the United States are trained in mental health first aid. Our group of students, faculty and staff joined this percentage at zero cost thanks to a $625,000 grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) that was awarded to UNT Dallas in 2022. The MHFA training enabled individuals to develop new skills in an area of healthcare they may not have previously explored.
Esme Anaab, CPH project coordinator, explained that prior to the MHFA training, she was unaware that dialing 911 could connect an individual to a mental health professional, if needed. Emergency responders are usually the first to arrive at the scene of an emergency therefore, mental health professionals are also available to respond to individuals during an immediate crisis. These are some of the key resources that were delivered in last month’s training.
“This certificate provides our students with the resources and credentials to save lives,” says Dr. Shafik Dharamsi, CPH dean. “It’s one of the many ways they can bring a unique skillset to their individual careers and make an impact in their communities.”
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