What is Mental Health First Aid Training?
This guest blog by Denise Waligora provides an overview of mental health first aid and why it is an essential course all of us should try to take.
"Men owe it to each other to have conversations about mental health, be comfortable asking 'how are you doing', and ready to carry on the conversation after hearing 'not great'."
Back in 2014; I trained a group of Ottawa firefighters as facilitators for Mental Health First Aid (MHFA). At the end of the 5-day training; one of the male firefighters came up to me and said the course wasn’t “touchy feely” like he thought it would be.
Maybe men don’t want to talk about mental health because they see it as being “too sensitive”. But, did you know that males die 3 times more often to suicide than females? Men owe it to each other to have conversations about mental health, be comfortable asking “how are you doing”, and ready to carry on the conversation after hearing “not great”.
Mental Health First Aid is an evidence-based course that provides participants with the skills to recognize change in others or indicators that someone is experiencing a decline in their mental well-being. We walk, virtually these days, participants through a conversation guide referred to as ALGEES that provides the skills and knowledge to have a conversation when these changes are noticed.
Our role is to create a safe space that allows the individual to talk openly about the decline in their mental well-being and the importance of encouraging and supporting the individual into reaching out to supports.
While it may seem simple; the most important step is the first step when we feel confident and comfortable in saying “hey, I’ve noticed lately…I’m worried…let’s talk”. Some may say, does it really work? – and the simple answer is “yes”.
Research has indicated that course participants had significantly greater recognition of declining mental well-being and increased confidence in providing help to others, which resulted in decreased social distancing from those living with mental health and substance use problems. In addition, participants felt their mental well-being improved after attending the course.
For more information and to find a course:
- Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) in Canada (Starting Nov 26th 2020, MHFA Standard Virtual will be offered, courses are posted)
- MHFA USA or MHA MHFA in the US
- MHFA in the UK
Here are additional resources including a few blogs I’ve written on self-care, checking on others, etc.,
Author bio:
Denise Waligora worked frontline for 20 yrs. prior to joining the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHFA) in 2011, as Training and Delivery Specialist for Mental Health First Aid. Denise’s experience includes psychiatric nursing, residential program director, case management and crisis worker. Denise has been facilitating MHFA since 2008.