y is Mental Health Month!  The Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota Department of Agriculture and University of Minnesota Extension are partnering to offer free in-person and virtual COMET trainings across the state.

COMET™ (Changing Our Mental and Emotional Trajectory) is a 2-hour training that teaches simple tools to help someone who is struggling shift their mental health trajectory back to a place of wellness and away from the path toward mental health crisis. COMET™ helps people take that next step after noticing someone might be struggling.

Often, we want to support our friends, neighbors, and colleagues in times of need but may not know how. COMET empowers us to be more prepared to support others’ mental health needs – especially before a crisis. This training doesn’t expect community members to “fix it,” but instead trains people to feel comfortable initiating a supportive and potentially emotional conversation by using a simple seven-question guide. The questions were developed using evidence-based techniques. It 1) provides an easy way to start a conversation, 2) teaches you how to exit the conversation in a supportive way, and 3) offers resources to share with others if they need more than a listening ear.

Please sign up for the date/time/location that works best for you. Any questions or accommodation requests can be sent to Mary Jo Katras at mkatras@umn.edu