What is Mental Health First Aid?
What is Mental Health First Aid?
The Mental Health Commission of Canada reports that one in every five Canadians experiences a mental health problem within any given year. While we often know a lot about physical illness, there tends to be less knowledge about mental health or substance use problems. This lack of understanding leads to fear and negative attitudes towards individuals living with these problems. It prevents people from seeking help for themselves and from providing appropriate support to people around them. Mental Health First Aid can help.
A program of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, mental health first aid is help for a person experiencing a mental health problem or crisis. Just like physical first aid, the goal is to offer a person immediate assistance until they can receive appropriate professional treatment, or the crisis is over.
The course offered at Waypoint has shifted to a blended online learning delivery to allow participants to take part from the safety and comfort of their own home. Participants will learn how to recognize signs that a person may be experiencing a decline in their mental well-being or a mental health crisis. They will also learn how to have conversations that encourage a person to talk about declines in mental well-being, discuss professional and other supports, reach out to these supports and assist in a mental health or substance use crisis.
Not only does the course help participants learn how to help others, but also to use the Mental Health First Aid actions to maintain one’s own mental well-being. As we continue to live with the challenges of the pandemic, these skills can be critically important.
“The course doesn’t train people to diagnose mental illness or be a therapist or counselor,” says Susan Lalonde-Rankin, Mental Health and Addictions Systems Coordinator and Mental Health First Aid Trainer. “It’s designed to help build confidence that one can be helpful when encountering someone who is experiencing a mental health crisis. We know the sooner a person with a mental health problem gets help, the better their chances of recovery.”
Thanks to the generosity of our donors, Waypoint is proud to subsidize this program with fundraising dollars. The cost per participant is just $75 and includes access to virtual classroom modules and the online “MHFA Participant Reference Guide.” Thank you to all of our donors for believing in our efforts to advance understanding of mental illness and build supportive communities for people with mental health problems.
For more information and to register for an upcoming course, please visit Mental Health First Aid.
