JOHNSON CITY — The East Tennessee State University Office of Professional Development will offer an eight-hour course leading to certification in “Mental Health First Aid” on Friday, Sept. 13, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at the ETSU Innovation Lab, 2109 W. Market Street.

Like traditional first aid classes, “Mental Health First Aid” will train participants to help in an emergency situation. Attendees will learn to identify the signs and symptoms of mental health problems and how to provide initial aid before guiding a person in distress toward appropriate professional help.

The instructor is Dr. Julia Bernard, an assistant professor in the Department of Counseling and Human Services in the Clemmer College at ETSU. Besides being a certified mental health first aid instructor, she is a licensed marriage and family therapist, a clinical fellow in the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, a certified family life educator and a board-certified human services practitioner.  She has published on sibling relationships, ethics, and the family.

The registration fee for the course is $89, which includes the textbook.  Group rates are available. CEU certificates are also available for an additional $25 fee.

For registration or more information, call the Office of Professional Development at 1-800-222-3878. Online registration is also available at www.etsu.edu/professionaldevelopment; users may click Registration, then Mental Health First Aid. For disability accommodations, call the ETSU Office of Disability Services at 423-439-8346.