We offer first aid courses to offer help for those with physical ailments, so it only makes sense that their be one for people suffering from mental health issues.
Guelph-based Open Minds is a company that does just that, offering courses that teach the basics on how to identify signs and symptoms of the most common mental health problems and teaching the next step after identifying them.
They are teaming up with traditional first aid course provider KMW Outreach to offer a mental health first aid course in Guelph Feb. 24 and 25.
“Mental health first aid is a course similar in structure to standard first aid, a 12 or 14-hour course, that teaches people signs and symptoms of common mental health problems and initial ways to respond and guide people toward resources,” said Open Minds founder Sarah Stewart, a registered social worker and certified mental health first aid trainer trained through Mental Health First Aid Canada.
“We might know how to help someone that trips and hurts their ankle, but if we are with someone that is having a panic attack we might have no idea what to do.”
Organizations she’s worked with in the past include legal clinics and libraries, places where staff and volunteers might have more frequent contact with clients who have mental illness.
Post-secondary education institutions also use the service.
Stewart points out that mental health first aid courses aren’t trying to teach people how to counsel those in need, or come up with in-depth solutions, but to identify issues and offer immediate help and referral.
Mental health issues that are covered in the course include substance-related disorders, mood-related disorders, anxiety, trauma and depression.
It also teaches crisis first aid for suicidal behaviour, overdose, panic attacks, acute stress and psychotic episodes.
Stewart said mental health first aid started in Australia and has been in Canada for around 10 years.
Instructors must first go through training and be certified.
It’s all about being able to identify issues and offer some help as quickly as possible.
“We know the earlier we can intervene when they’re displaying signs of mental health problems, the better the outcome will be,” Stewart said. “How do we catch things when it’s just developing?
“We’re not training people to be counsellors and therapists in the same way that physical first aid is not training people to be the surgeon that fixes the broken leg.”
Getting people to feel more comfortable about having conversations about mental health and helping reduce the stigma around mental health issues is also part of the goal, Stewart said.
But just talking isn’t always enough.
“All the awareness raising is fantastic. It’s so important to bring these things to light. But we also have to help people know what to do. What I hear from a lot of people is ‘yeah, I can talk to people about it, but then what do I do?’”
For more information about the course and details on the course in Guelph can be found here.
