Starting Point Instructor Ranked Among Top 20 Mental Health First Aid Instructors Nationally

Katrina Robinson-Wheeler of Starting Point Behavioral Healthcare has been named a Top Mental Health First Aid Instructor for 2018 by the National Council for Behavioral Health. Top Instructors were recognized at the 2019 Mental Health First Aid Instructor Summit in March in Nashville, Tenn.

Top Instructors were selected based on the number of people they taught in the 2018 calendar year in the standard Mental Health First Aid curriculum or in any of its audience-focused modules: Public Safety, Fire/EMS, Higher Education, Older Adults and Veterans.

Mental Health First Aid is a course that teaches a five-step action plan to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health or substance use problems and offer support and help. In 10 years, it’s become a movement— more than 1.5 million people are certified and that number grows every day.

“Our Mental Health First Aid Instructors are the backbone of the program,” said Betsy Schwartz, VP for public education and strategic initiatives at the National Council. “They’re the ones on the ground teaching communities across the country, and our Top Instructors in particular are making incredible progress toward de-stigmatizing mental health and getting people the support they need.”

Since launching Nassau County’s first MHFA training program in 2014, Wheeler has taught more than 2,500 individuals the skills and techniques of Mental Health First Aid. These skills can be used to assist someone who is experiencing a mental health crisis and direct them to professional intervention or care.

Wheeler is the Community Liaison and Mental Health First Aid Instructor and Educator at Starting Point Behavioral Healthcare, a community-based behavioral health treatment agency in Northeast Florida, where she has worked for the past 18 years. She has worked in several different capacities in the agency; 11 years as a therapist specializing in women’s treatment, and five years in management as the Behavioral Health Team Leader and Clinical Director. 

Wheeler received her Master’s in Mental Health Counseling in 2009 from Webster University, and is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida, a Licensed Professional Counselor in Georgia, and is a Master’s Level Certified Addiction Professional and Substance Abuse Professional.

A graduate of the National Council for Behavioral Health’s inaugural Addressing Health Disparities Leadership Program in 2011-2012, Wheeler also is a graduate of the Leadership Nassau program 2014. Wheeler received the Professional of the Year awards for both Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association (FADAA) and the Florida Certification Board (FCB) in 2007. 

About Starting Point

Starting Point Behavioral Health provides mental health and substance abuse treatment services to children, teens and adults in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia. The non-profit agency serves more than 2,800 individuals each year and has been serving the region for more than 25 years. Starting Point is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). For more information, visit spbh.org.

About the National Council for Behavioral Health

The National Council for Behavioral Health is the unifying voice of America’s health care organizations that deliver mental health and addictions treatment and services. Together with our 3,000 member organizations serving over 10 million adults, children and families living with mental illnesses and addictions, the National Council is committed to all Americans having access to comprehensive, high-quality care that affords every opportunity for recovery. The National Council introduced Mental Health First Aid USAand more than 1.5 million Americans have been trained.

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