Mecklenburg County Offering Free Community Workshops for Mental Wellness

photo of a woman holding a man's hand

As a spotlight on Mental Health Awareness Month, Public Health’s Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma (ReCAST) II team will offer a wide array of educational opportunities throughout May to build mental well-being. The workshops will cover suicide prevention, understanding stress, and youth mental health first aid. There will also be a workshop for adults who interact with children and teens who have experienced trauma.  

“We are creating a network of education and support for our residents so they can help their families, students, neighbors, and friends,” said Ebony Rao, Mecklenburg County Public Health ReCAST II Sr. Program Manager. “We want to make this information available across the County to those adults who are interacting with the children dealing with trauma. We know that mental health and wellness is a community priority and we are here to provide that help and support.”

All workshops are FREE but registration is required through the links below:

QPR Suicide Prevention Workshop

QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — the three imple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. Learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help.

Tuesday, April 30, 6 – 7:30 p.m.

Allegra Westbrooks Regional Library, 2412 Beatties Ford Rd, Charlotte, NC 28216

Register online

Resilience & Thriving: The Secret Power of Stress Workshop

Learn about building resilience, raw coping power, and stress management to help you go from coping to thriving. This training equips participants with practical exercises that help identify positive and negative coping cycles that can reduce stress at home and work.  

Monday, May 6, 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Valeric C Woodard Center, 3205 Freedom Drive, Entrance E, Room 4014/4015, Charlotte, NC 28208

Register online

Thursday, May 9, 1 - 2:30 p.m.

Valeric C Woodard Center, 3205 Freedom Drive, Entrance E, Room 4014/4015, Charlotte, NC 28208

Register online

Tuesday, May 14, 6 - 7:30 p.m.

Allegra Westbrooks Regional Library, 2412 Beatties Ford Rd, Charlotte, NC 28216

Register online

Youth Mental Health First Aid: Blended In-Person

This training is for any caring adult (school staff, coaches, camp counselors, youth group leaders, parents, caregivers, etc.) who interacts with youth 12-18 years old and would like to know how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of a mental health or substance use challenge. Learn about common mental health challenges for youth, typical adolescent development, and topics affecting youth such as anxiety, depression, substance use, disorders in which psychosis may occur, disruptive behavior disorders (including AD/HD), and eating disorders.

Friday, May 17, 9 a.m. –  2:30 p.m.

Valerie C. Woodard Center, 3205 Freedom Drive, Entrance E, Room 4014/4015, Charlotte, NC 28208

Register online

CARE Workshop

Child-Adult Relationship Enhancement (CARE) skills can be used by any adult in any setting who interacts with children and teens 2-18 years old who have experienced trauma. Parents, caregivers, school staff, childcare workers, healthcare, and many more learn to increase positive interaction, child engagement, and reduce mild-to-moderate behavior challenges.

Thursday, May 9, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Belmont Regional Center, 700 Parkwood Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205

Register online