SMART members train to be mental health advocates in Texas

February 4, 2025

SMART Southwest Gulf Coast Regional Council members gathered at the Local 67 (San Antonio, Texas) JATC for a SMART MAP Peer-to-Peer training, raising their own mental health awareness and learning how to be advocates for themselves and their fellow members.

The Member Assistance Program training, conducted by the Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust (SMOHIT), teaches SMART members how to be peer mentors for their fellow brothers and sisters: raising awareness, reducing the stigma surrounding mental wellness and creating a self-sustaining mental health support system within our union. The three-hour SMART MAP sessions also provide members with an avenue to open up about their own experiences.