Friday, January 19 at 7 p.m., Dr. Michelle Bengtson will kick off the mental health-themed weekend by speaking on Hope for Depression: The World’s Greatest Epidemic. Dr. Bengtson is the author of the award winning “Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey through Depression.”

Then on Saturday, January 20, The Summit will be offering Mental Health First Aid training in Enumclaw. This groundbreaking one-day training course gives people the tools to identify when someone might be struggling with a mental health or substance use problem and to connect them with appropriate support and resources when necessary.

1 in 5 Americans has a mental illness, but many are reluctant to seek help or might not know where to turn for care. Unlike physical conditions, symptoms of mental health and substance use problems can be difficult to detect. For friends and family members, it can be hard to know when and how to step in. As a result, those in need of mental health services often do not get them until it is too late.

Just as CPR helps even those without clinical training assist an individual having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid prepares participants to interact with a person experiencing a mental health crisis. Mental Health First Aiders learn a 5-step action plan that guides them through the process of reaching out and offering appropriate support.

“Through this program, we hope to take the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations about mental health and substance use problems,” said Linda Rosenberg, President and CEO of the National Council for Behavioral Health, which helped bring Mental Health First Aid to the U.S. in 2008. “When more people are equipped with the tools they need to start a dialogue, more people can get the help they may need.”

In just ten years, Mental Health First Aid has become a full-blown movement in the United States—more than 800,000 people are certified Mental Health First Aiders, and that number is growing every day.

Pastor Ross Holtz of The Summit said, “The purpose is to draw together the Christian community to equip and train them to minister to the families and individuals affected by some expression of mental illness.”

For more information or to participate in a Mental Health First Aid training in Enumclaw, visit the www.summitefc.com. To register, email or call: Belinda at the Summit 360-825-7111 or

BJPC.08@gmail.com. Both events are free of charge and will be held at The Summit EFC, 920 Roosevelt Ave, Enumclaw, WA 98022.