Scheduling of sessions will take place on a FIRST COME FIRST SERVED basis using the USC-MHS scheduling platform found through the link above. Please fill out your school’s preferred times as soon as you can to ensure you are able to secure a date and time slot that works for you. You are always welcome to reach out to us should you have questions or requests that are not appropriately addressed through the digital platform.

YES! Please reach out to us so we can better understand what you envision and determine how to best serve you.

YES! USC-MHS can schedule up to 3 consecutive sessions in a day in one location. You can either use the scheduling system or reach out to us to schedule consecutive sessions.

We can also schedule simultaneous sessions in separate classroom spaces onsite, but we will want to touch base with you prior to scheduling to ensure we are able to fulfill the instructor logistics for the date(s) requested. Please contact us as soon as you are able so we can assist you with this request.

YES! The U.S. Center for Mental Health & Sport sincerely believes that the more people we train in mental health awareness throughout our communities, the safer and more able to support mental health our communities become. Here is some additional information:

• You are welcome to schedule as many additional sessions as you would like using the same scheduling platform linked above.
• The first session scheduled will be free of cost to the school as it will be the sponsored session from the NY Jets. Any additional sessions will be invoiced to the school.
• The 2026 rate for an ACT! Certification session is $1,250 for up to 50 people with participants' ACT! Certificate valid for 3 years. However, in honoring our partnership with the NY Jets, we are offering all NJAC and Super Essex member schools a 10% discount resulting in each session being $1,125.
• USC-MHS does offer a number of additional mental health awareness programs between 30 min. - 2 hours in length. Please contact us if you are interested in learning about our other programs.
• Invoices will be sent after scheduling of the school’s sessions is confirmed with half of the payment due two weeks before program delivery and the other half due upon program delivery.

This incredibly generous sponsorship by the NY Jets includes:

• One free ACT! Mental Health Certification session for each NJAC & Super Essex Conference high school

• Each session holds up to 50 participants

• The session can serve students, teachers, staff, administrators, athletes, coaches, etc.
-Each school will have the opportunity to determine which audience they prefer to have trained with this session.
-All participants in the session may have the same role within the school (e.g.; students) OR it can be an audience with a mixture of roles (e.g.; students and teachers).
-While there are benefits with both approaches, USC-MHS would recommend mixed groups so you have both adults and peer leaders throughout the school that better understand how to have conversations about mental health.

• Time required for each session: 2 hours

• Venue requirements: USC-MHS will need a space with enough seats for all participants and a projector, screen, or TV that a laptop can connect to. Audio capabilities are NOT needed.

Learn more about how members of your school community can ACT! to support themselves and others when they may be struggling with mental health challenges!

Audience

This course is a great option for anyone in your school community to ensure everyone is surrounded by increased opportunities for support and community members better understand how to encourage thriving mental health. Examples of who the audience may include are:

Students, Teachers, Staff, Administrators, Parents, Athletes, Coaches, etc.

The course can be offered to mixed groups (e.g.; students and teachers) or can be presented to a whole group of individuals with the same role (e.g.; teachers). There are advantages to either approach and we are happy to chat with you about what might be the the best option for your school.

What will the audience learn?

The objectives of the USC-MHS ACT! Certification are much like those of a first aid course. We will teach the signs and symptoms of a mental health challenge and/or crisis, how to de-escalate a situation to avoid harm to oneself or others, and what pathways are available for additional professional support. The course also focuses on those factors that can protect individuals from experiencing mental health challenges and those that can put them at greater risk. Our training always includes national resources that can be utilized for additional mental health support.

Course Agenda

The 2-hour course agenda is based on the acronym ACT!, encouraging anyone who is concerned about their own mental health or that of someone else to act in support. First, we will grow AWARENESS of the importance of mental health along with the prevalence of challenges, next we will provide information on signs and symptoms to be aware of regarding the most common mental health CHALLENGES in sport (depression, anxiety, and suicidality), and finally, options will be provided on how to TAKE ACTION if you are concerned about yourself or someone else.

ACT! Certification

After fully participating in this course, each participant will receive a certificate reflecting their participation in the ACT! training that is valid for 3-years.

USC-MHS is a national nonprofit organization (501c3) with the mission of bringing optimum mental health to sport and academic communities and beyond across the country. The co-founders, Dr. Margaret Domka and Dr. Skye Arthur-Banning are educators and researchers in the mental health space and have established the organization to provide evidence-based engaging educational opportunities that promote thriving mental health.

We are currently experiencing a national mental health crisis across the United States in which 1 in 5 youth up to the age of 18 and adults over the age of 25 experience a mental disorder every year. Meanwhile, 1 in 3 of our young adults ages 18-25, experience mental disorders each year during the next step in their journey after they leave our schools. Additionally, suicide rates are over 40% higher today than they were in 2000 and close to 10% of high school students attempt to die by suicide each year. But, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE and SAVE LIVES! The education of our community members in this space can have an incredible impact on supporting thriving mental health – and we don’t all have to be mental health experts to support!