ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg College recently celebrated its first cohort of students completing the Applied Mental Health Certification program. The the course is only for first responders, and organizers said it’s the first in the nation.

What You Need To Know

  • St. Petersburg College recently celebrated its first cohort of students from the Applied Mental Health Certification program 

  • The course is only for first responders, and it’s the first in the nation

  • For the last 11 months, this group of local first responders has come together as students at St. Petersburg College, with Dr. Meredith Moran as their teacher

  • SPC will start its next course for first responders in the fall

The inaugural class includes 14 law enforcement officers from St. Pete, Gulfport, Tampa and Clearwater police departments.  First responders who graduate from the program will go on to be mental health liaisons at their agencies, with the training and knowledge to help their coworkers.

For the last 11 months, this group of local first responders has come together as students at St. Petersburg College, with Dr. Meredith Moran as their teacher.

“As a former first responder myself, I remember back in the early 90s, we didn’t have culturally competent counselors," Moran said. "We didn’t have — there was this culture where you didn’t talk about what’s going on in your life and because of that, it’s kind of been a continuous problem."

She said the Suncoast Police Benevolent Association recognized that it’s a problem that needs to be fixed, and came to the college requesting a course for first responders on mental health.

“Because we have the badge, often time people think we’re just so strong that we’re not weak in any form, and that’s not true," said St. Pete Police Officer Dianeka Jones. "We all go through things and I think this class gives us the insight, what to look for in our own officers, our peers."

Jones said this type of training is crucial in her career. The course covers a little bit of everything — from assessment and diagnosis, to police suicide. This particular class was on all the mental health resources available to first responders, like Gilbert, a fully certified law enforcement therapy K9.

Moran said while most agencies offer peer support and critical incident stress management, or CISM, there’s currently no type of proactive support, which is what officials hope the St. Petersburg College certification will provide.

“A lot of that is reactionary, though, so something happens and we call out the CISM team," Moran said. "These guys are designed to be more proactive as mental health liaisons and go to their coworkers and say, 'Hey, something seems to be off, can we talk about it, how can we help you?”

And that type of support is something Jones feels can help.

“For a while, our mental health and issues we have, have just been swept under the rug," she said. "It’s like, 'You’ll be alright, you’ll get through it, tomorrow you’ll be fine.' And I think more and more we’re seeing that’s not helping, it’s a problem and I’m glad we’re able to see it and that the awareness we’re getting now, it’s a big thing."

The first cohort graduated on Monday. The program was free for students thanks to some state funding and the Pepin Family Foundation. SPC will start its next course for first responders in the fall.