Cook County, UMN Extension partner to offer free mental health support training

Cook County is partnering with University of Minnesota Extension to offer a free mental health support training Nov. 6 at the Cook County Higher Education building.

The two-hour interactive program, called Changing Our Mental and Emotional Trajectory (COMET), is designed to help participants recognize and support people who may be experiencing sadness, anxiety, distraction or depression.

“It’s actually a really accessible short training to help equip anyone and everyone to be able to have conversations with their friends, family, coworkers, neighbors who they might be concerned, might be struggling a little bit,” Sarah Waddle, the University of Minnesota Extension Educator, told WTIP.

Between May 2024 and June 2025, 82 COMET training sessions were held in person and virtually, reaching more than 1,200 participants. A study found that 80% of participants who completed the training were likely to tell someone if they noticed a change in that person’s mood, compared with 48% of those who had not taken the training.

Amid financial pressures and a midterm election year, recognizing when friends, family members or neighbors may be struggling could be especially important. The training teaches participants how to identify signs that someone may need support and how to approach those conversations.

“Part of the training talks about some of those verbal or visual cues that you experience when you are talking with people or just seeing them day to day, that you kind of notice over time,” Orest told WTIP.

Waddle said participants do not need to have a specific person or situation in mind to benefit from the training.

“We’ve had people attend to who maybe don’t have a specific situation in mind, who just want to feel like they have a few more tools in their toolbox to be able to bring up when conversations like that might arise,” Waddle said.

The free training is open to everyone and will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. Nov. 6 at Cook County Higher Education. Those interested can register through the University of Minnesota Extension website.

WTIP spoke with Waddle and Orest about the training. Audio of that conversation is available below.

Josh Hinke October 22, 2026