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About the Founder - Managing Member
Derrick Sanders - Founder - Managing Member
Derrick Sanders' career is marked by a distinguished blend of military service and dedication to law enforcement and mental health education. Serving his country as an active duty member of the United States Army, Derrick served in the Military Police Corps for nearly five years, with his service exemplified through two combat deployments in Southwest Asia during and following Desert Storm. His commitment and professionalism were recognized through several esteemed military awards and decorations.
Transitioning to civilian service, Derrick continued to serve as a Deputy Sheriff in Clark County, Illinois. With over 18 years of additional law enforcement service, Derrick earned certifications as a Juvenile Officer, a Crisis Intervention Team member, and a Hostage Negotiator, acquiring advanced training across three phases, demonstrating his commitment to assisting those with mental health challenges. Derrick is a Certified Professional Life Coach and member of the International Coaching Federation.
In the realm of mental wellness, Derrick is a certified Mental Health First Aid USA instructor for both Adult and Youth curricula, accredited by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. His proficiency is further underscored by his role as a National Trainer, where he travels the country, and along with his colleagues, certifies new instructors while equipping them with the knowledge to spread Mental Health First Aid awareness and support throughout various sectors and communities. Additionally, Derrick holds Community Specific Course designations from MHFA for specific areas of training for Public Safety, Corrections, Fire/EMS, Veterans and Military members and their families, Older Adults, Higher Education, and Rural. Each of these communities have specific cultural areas to highlight, discuss and facilitate. Additionally, Derrick is a certified instructor for the QPR Institute, which is the most widely taught Gatekeeper training for suicide prevention in the world.
His leadership extends to the governance of mental health initiatives in Clark County Illinois, where Derrick actively participates as a Board Member of the 708 Mental Health Board. His influence has also previously spanned several community-planning and trustee positions, such as an appointed member of the Clark County Local Emergency Planning Committee and as an elected Township Trustee for Wabash Township in Clark County, illustrating his dedication to systemic improvement and community wellbeing.
An entrepreneur, Derrick founded, is the Managing Member and Chief Instructor of Alliance Community Training, LLC, a company specializing in mental health education at the community, regional, and national level, and also Sanders Group, LLC, which focuses on business management, property investment and leasing. Both enterprises are designated by the US Department of Veteran Affairs and recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration as 'Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses."
Who We Are
Our Mission
Alliance Community Training, LLC is dedicated to empowering individuals and communities with essential skills to effectively support mental health. Our comprehensive training courses and services are tailored to prepare the public in identifying, understanding, and assisting those facing mental health challenges. We are committed to fostering resilience and reducing the impact of mental health issues for individuals and their supporters, transforming lives through education and compassionate action.
Mental Health First Aid
Just as CPR training helps a layperson without medical training assist an individual experiencing a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid training helps a layperson assist someone experiencing a mental health crisis. The evidence behind Mental Health First Aid demonstrates that it makes people feel more comfortable managing a crisis situation and builds mental health literacy, helping the public identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness. Specifically, studies found that those who were trained in Mental Health First Aid have greater confidence in providing help to others, greater likelihood of advising people to seek professional help, improved concordance with health professionals about treatments, and decreased stigmatizing attitudes. Each person successfully completing a course receives a three year certification.
QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer)
"The QPR mission is to reduce suicidal behaviors and save lives by providing innovative, practical and proven suicide prevention training. The signs of crisis are all around us. We believe that quality education empowers all people, regardless of their background, to make a positive difference in the life of someone they know. " ~ QPR Institute
QPR stands for Question, Persuade, Refer. These are the three simple steps that can be learned and used during a QPR training to help identify and provide support to a person who may be contemplating dying from suicide. During this course, individuals will learn to recognize the warning signs of suicide, know how to offer hope, and know how to get help and save a life.
Derrick Sanders is a trained and certified instructor in the QPR program.