On November 22, 2019, Albertus Magnus College will be hosting Mental Health First Aid for Higher Education. This innovative psychoeducational program is an international evidence-based curriculum that teaches faculty, staff, and students how to support students who are experiencing emotional distress. Trainees will learn how to identify, understand, and respond to students who are experiencing emotional distress or engaging in substance abuse.
This initiative is part of Albertus Magnus’ Title III Grant which strives to engage and retain students by adopting a holistic and proactive approach to supporting both student academic success and overall well-being. It is a testament to college faculty and staff commitment to student success and student dedication to supporting one another through their journey at Albertus Magnus.
The event is being sponsored by funding from the Connecticut Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Jared Coffin Memorial Fund. Notably, the Jared Coffin Memorial Fund was established Connecticut resident Laura Coffin in memory of her son Jared Coffin, who struggled with mental illness throughout his college years and lost his life to suicide at age 26 while pursuing higher education.
This will be the first time that the Jared Coffin Memorial Fund will be sponsoring MHFA at a college. Laura Coffin remarked, “College age students are at a very vulnerable stage of life and training like MHFA could be instrumental in supporting emotional wellbeing and saving lives.” Special thanks are given to Laura Coffin and Albertus Magnus Psychology Professor/Faculty Advisor Dr. Jennifer Dealy for all of their efforts to make this event possible.