Our Mental Health First Aid trainings support early detection and intervention of mental health crises among adults and young adults. Trained behavioral health staff from 51³Ô¹ÏÍø can visit your organization to teach employees, teachers, parents, peers, and other community members to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness.
Click on the buttons above to read more about trainings for nonprofits and community members, or for employers.Â
Meet the team:
John Caravalho
Program Manager
John is a Certified MHFA Trainer for Adult, Youth, and Teens. He holds a Master’s degree in leadership with an emphasis in Servant Leadership. John is a mentor, seminar speaker, and a huge San Francisco Giants fan. His passion is to help people develop their full potential professionally, physically, and spiritually.
Kennya Rodriguez, MSW
Program Coordinator
Kennya Rodriguez, MSW, is the Program Coordinator for Mental Health First Aid at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, where she organizes MHFA trainings for the community. With a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Social Work, she has experience providing therapy to college students, leading mental health advocacy initiatives, and supporting youth in residential treatment. Her work focuses on reducing stigma and expanding access to mental health resources.
Ignatius Nguyen, ASW
Program Facilitator
Ignatius Nguyen, ASW, is an educator, facilitator, and certified Mental Health First Aid trainer who is committed to creating innovative ways to address stigma in mental health. Since 2017, his efforts have included producing unique events, hosting open mics, facilitating transformative group experiences (retreats, workshops, and men’s groups), providing community psychoeducation, and more. In his free time, Ignatius enjoys drinking oolong tea, taking mindful walks, sitting in meditation, dancing like a robot, DJing funk music, and dabbling in photography.
Sarah Warhaftig
Program Instructor
Sarah Warhaftig is a passionate wellness educator, yoga instructor, and certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor. With a career dedicated to supporting mental health and emotional plus physical well-being, Sarah brings over a decade of experience in youth development, mindfulness coaching, and mental health education.
Upcoming Information Sessions:
Thursday, December 4 from 6:30pm-7:30pm.
Saturday, December 13 from 10:30am-11:30pm.
Join a 1-hour interactive session with 51³Ô¹ÏÍø
for Health introducing Mental Health First Aid
(MHFA) – an evidence-based training that teaches
you how to recognize signs of mental health
challenges, offer support, and connect people to
appropriate help.
This free introduction will give you practical tools
you can use right away – and a glimpse of what you
can gain by participating in the full training.
The course will be held at Mitchell Park Library
3700 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94303
Registration is optional. Register if you would like to get an email reminder for the information session.
December 4:
December 13:
Upcoming Trainings:
January 24 & 31 from 10:30am-2:30pm.
Learn how to support your friends,
families, and neighbors by becoming
certified in Mental Health First Aid.
To receive certification, participants must attend both
Part 1 and Part 2 sessions. Part 1 is on January 24;
Part 2 is on January 31. Each part is four hours with a
break for participants to get lunch on their own.
This training is intended for adults who are at
least 18 years old