A new course being offered in Guelph is giving you the tools to help someone going through a mental health crisis.
Mental health first aid is an eight-hour course being taught at St. Joseph’s Health Centre – through the Centre for Resilience, Learning and Growth – since December.
“I think that mental health is something that is on everyone’s radar more frequently, certainly more than it was a decade ago,” said Andrea Johnston, the interim manager of organizational development and learning at St. Joseph’s.
“If we look at the world post-pandemic, we see that the need is just increasing.”
“While we often know a lot about physical illness, there tends to be less knowledge about mental health or substance use problems,” the Mental Health Commission of Canada, who developed the program, states on its website. “This lack of understanding leads to fear and negative attitudes toward individuals living with mental health or substance use problems. It prevents people from seeking help and providing appropriate support to people around them.”
A trained facilitator through the MHCC teaches the course.
Those who participate have to complete a four-hour online module before taking part in an eight-hour course in-person.
The program teaches participants mental health literacy, from recognizing signs of decline in someone’s mental wellbeing, learning terminology, getting an opportunity to check on your own mental health status and more.
At the end, participants will receive a certificate they can place anywhere they want to show they can provide support in a safe environment, or can comfortably have a conversation about mental health issues.
Three classes have been taught locally thus far, and 36 people have been certified, including a number of healthcare professionals.
The next basic course is being offered May 28 at St. Joseph's for a $100 fee.
You can enroll through the St. Joseph’s website.
Other mental health first aid courses are also offered and geared toward specific groups.
Johnston said as a community, we’ve heard of stories where things escalated and this kind of training is going to be important moving forward.
Because much like being CPR trained, she said it’s a skill you’d rather have and not need, than need and not have.
“You never quite know when you might be in a situation to help somebody else in the community,” Johnston said. “Now we’re recognizing the need to have those skills when it comes to mental health.”
