Business supervisors across Alabama can now receive free training on recognizing and responding to mental health issues among their employees.

The eight-hour training session is provided by the University of Alabama’s VitAL partnership, which uses education and training to help improve mental health in the state.

The training is held at the business or virtually.

VitAL’s Valerie Trull leads the initiative and can be reached at 205-765-8750, or Valerie.trull@ua.edu. Or visit FREE Workforce Mental Health First Aid Training | VitAL Alabama.

“I cannot say enough about how much the Mental Health First Aid training has impacted me personally and how differently I approach day-to-day operations when dealing with my employees,” said Christopher Dickens, corporate executive chef for Island Entertainment LLC in Orange Beach. “The mental health crisis we are currently dealing with as a nation is very real, and had it not been for the MHFA training I would not have been able to identify subtle cues in my staff that were clear indicators that they needed help.

“I believe without a doubt that I have been able to make a huge difference in the lives of my staff members who were facing challenges in their lives that I would not have recognized without the MHFA training,” Dickens said. “This is the most valuable training course I have attended in my career.”

The training is funded by a U.S. Department of Education grant administered by the Alabama Department of Commerce’s Workforce Development Division.

The program targets employers in the medical, transportation/logistics, information technology, construction and advanced manufacturing fields.

The VitAL team works with community and organizational stakeholders across all of Alabama’s 67 counties. VitAL works to help Alabamians with mental health, substance use and trauma-related challenges.

For more information on VitAL, visit VitAL Alabama | Improving Wellness in Alabama.

This story originally appeared on the Alabama Department of Commerce’s Made in Alabama website.