The scope of a mental health first aider from the mental health first aid certification pre-course work. Mental health first aiders do not diagnose or treat mental health disorders, but instead act as a form of triage to help others through a mental health or substance use challenge, and connect them to professionals and resources if needed. (Photo from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing)

Last week, I received my certification in mental health first aid (MHFA). I was able to take a two-day virtual course offered by the Chenango Health Network, and taught by their MHFA Training Coordinator Tiffani Gager.

Mental health is something that's very important to me. It's just as important to take care of our minds as it is to take care of our bodies, yet a stigma persists that mental health struggles are something to be ashamed of.

So when I learned about this course, I was thrilled! Not only is it an opportunity to learn more about mental health and substance use challenges and how to help others, but it's a great way to normalize conversations about mental health and begin to break down that stigma.

The role of mental health first aiders is to act as a safe space and listening ear for people experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge, as well as a connection to resources. Mental health first aiders don't diagnose or treat mental health disorders, but instead act as a sort of triage, similar to a first aid responder assisting someone while an ambulance is on the way.

Chenango Health Network offers free community mental health first aid courses about once a month, which are split over two days, usually about a week apart. Upon completion, participants are certified as mental health first aiders for three years. You can keep an eye out for their next course on the Chenango Health Network Facebook page.

I highly recommend anyone who is able to take the course. While I consider myself to be an empathetic and caring person, completing this course has made me feel so much more prepared to help others experiencing mental health or substance use challenges.

These can be hard discussions to navigate, and it's easy to worry about saying the wrong thing or making things worse. But MHFA training covers so much, and walks you through how to have these conversations and remain open, empathetic, and helpful.

Course components

Before the actual course begins, there's a few questionnaires to gauge participants' knowledge and beliefs regarding mental health and around two hours of pre-course work to complete first. It sounds daunting, but it's actually really interesting material, and it goes by pretty quick!

All the course information is available on an online portal where you create an account after registering for the class. It provides a handy checklist to show you how far you are in the course, access to the pre-course work, Zoom meetings, and downloadable resources. Even after completing the course, you retain access to the course material, so it's always there for you to check if you need it.

The pre-course work is also a great toe-dip into what the course will be covering. Although I already knew a lot about the class, once I actually registered for it I was worried I was unprepared. The pre-course work was a relief, as it gave me a solid foundation and much more confidence going into the class.

The pre-course is also where you receive a copy of your MHFA handbook, as well as a list of resources to provide others, such as various crisis hotline numbers.

The class itself was held over Zoom, and utilized a combination of presentation slides, knowledge checks, videos, and group exercises to teach the information. I'll admit, I was a bit overwhelmed at times by the sheer amount of information to take in! We covered topics from the role of a mental health first aider, signs of a mental health challenge or crisis, de-escalation tactics, ALGEE, safety measures, cultural considerations, resources, what to do if someone doesn't want help, and so much more.

I did my best to take notes throughout the course, but because there is so much information I couldn't get it all down. Fortunately, the course is set up in such a way that it makes it easy to retain the information.

I'm a very visual learner — I need to read instructions, or actually watch someone do something to fully understand how to do it myself. At times I was worried I wouldn't remember important things because it was just being explained to us.

However, the course also utilizes videos depicting example situations where the skills of a mental health first aider are applied. While I generally don't use things like video tutorials to learn new things, I actually found the videos to be the most helpful part of the course.

Reading and hearing what to do in a variety of situations is useful, but actually watching a situation play out in which someone is experiencing a mental health challenge and a mental health first aider steps in to help was crucial for me to fully understand how to apply what I was learning. Several videos were used, which depicted situations ranging from trauma, substance use, depression, suicidal thoughts, and psychosis.

Watching a mental health first aider respond to all of these situations gave me a much deeper understanding of how to approach someone who's struggling, what body language to use, how to speak, what to say and what not to say, and how I can offer resources to others.

Tiffani also asked us questions after each video, such as "what in this situation was helpful? and "what wasn't helpful?" This helped to further integrate the information I was learning, and really analyze what I was watching and why some strategies are used and others are not.

In addition to these post-video questionnaires, throughout the course there are also several "knowledge checks." These cover the information just learned, and test your knowledge using true or false questions. The knowledge checks are just another great way to reinforce the information and make sure you're really taking it in.

Lastly, the course uses exercises to practice putting yourself in the role of a mental health first aider. We read through situations in which someone is experiencing a mental health challenge, and practiced identifying the signs that they're struggling. We also went over what we could do to approach each person and help them through their challenge.

There are also exercises to help navigate conversations about suicide and to better understand what someone experiencing hallucinations is going through, and how to help them. As my group was so small, with the second class just being me and Tiffani, we weren't able to do these exercises. However, I have no doubt they would be nothing but beneficial in further understanding how to respond as a mental health first aider.

Self care

Throughout the course, a big emphasis is placed on self care. Not only does the training cover really heavy and difficult topics, such as various mental health disorders, substance use, and suicide, but acting as a mental health first aider can be emotionally draining.

Listening to others' struggles and providing help and resources can take a toll on your own mental wellbeing. It's natural to want to help, but during MHFA training I was reminded how important it is to take care of yourself, too. Similarly to the airplane adage to put on your own oxygen mask before helping others, you can't expect to help others experiencing a mental health challenge if you're not taking care of your own mental health.

This is where self care comes in. According to the Oxford Dictionary, self care is "the practice of taking an active role in protecting one's own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress."

Self care can look different for everyone. My personal forms of self care include reading; doing crafts like crocheting, cross stitching, and sewing; venting to a loved one; spending time with my pets; and, strangely, watching true crime documentaries on Netflix.

But, like I said, self care is personal and unique to everyone. Other forms of self care can include exercise, relaxation and meditation, self help books, engaging in hobbies, and more. It's whatever makes you feel good and helps you destress. There's no wrong way to do self care!

I really loved that the course placed such an emphasis on taking care of your own mental health. The pre-course work provided a template to create your own self care plan, which included eight areas: intellectual, emotional, occupational, environment, community, physical, financial, and spiritual.

Filling it out is optional, but I highly recommend taking the time to explore your own methods of self care. Going into the course, I knew there would be difficult topics and a lot of emotions that came up for me. Having my self care plan ready before the classes began was like a security blanket for me — I had a list of all my favorite things to do easy accessible if I felt like I needed some self care after class.

After each course, Tiffani also had us fill out a brief questionnaire to check in and see how we were doing with the material. This was also helpful as it provided a space to privately discuss any concerns or difficulties I was having with the class.

It's also worth mentioning that Tiffani was an integral piece of navigating the course and not letting my emotions get the better of me. From the moment class started, Tiffani made it clear we were in a non-judgmental space where we were free to share our experiences and feelings, and take breaks if we needed.

The module on suicide was especially difficult for me. We paused the lesson and instead Tiffani and I discussed how I was feeling, and she allowed me to share my own experiences with suicidal thoughts and the loss of a close friend to suicide.

Mental illness and substance use is not easy to experience or talk about. However, Tiffani truly created an environment where I really felt cared about and comfortable sharing my feelings. I never felt judged for my experiences or my feelings, and instead felt listened to and supported.

Finishing up

Even though the course can leave you feeling a little raw, I also walked away with the feeling that I had support, and the ability to care for myself or seek help when I need it. Of course, I also felt prepared to act as that safe and supportive space for others experiencing mental health struggles. Tiffani served as a great role model to emulate!

After the course wrapped up, to earn my certification I had to complete a quick, ten-question exam. While the thought of a final exam made my heart race, I was relieved to find it was just a brief coverage of scenarios and what to do as a mental health first aider in those situations. After taking a few minutes to complete the exam, I had my mental health first aid certification!

I'm so glad I took the time to complete the training. Although I felt I already knew a lot regarding mental health and how to help others before taking the course, I realized how much more there was to learn.

I have a much better understanding of how to approach someone who's struggling, how to talk to them, and how to offer support and resources. It made me analyze my own body language and speech, and how I usually provide help and support to others, and how to adjust those things so I could be of even more help to those who need it.

Again, I highly recommend this course to anyone able to complete it. It truly is an invaluable resource that teaches you how to help others as well as yourself.