This weekend I had the opportunity to take part in Mental Health First Aid
I am a big on professional development, and being a lifelong learner, so when the opportunity came up to educate myself on a topic that has been hitting very close to home, and big in education, I absolutely was going to take it!
So, what is it?
Just like medical First Aid, you learn the basics on what a broken arm looks like, or a choking person, and then you learn the steps to helping assist that broken arm or choking person. Mental Health First Aid, is just that, in the sense that we were taught steps in recognizing mental health issues, and taking very simple, yet effective steps to assisting them.
We used the super effective ALGEE model to help us in each situation whether it be substance abuse, anxiety, depression, bipolar, or schizophrenic.
This model helped guide us through each situation as we learned about mental illnesses and what we can do as family members, friends, and teachers. We actually had so much fun learning and doing activities surrounding everything mental health.
Why I did it…
As I’ve talked a lot about recently, mental health has become a HUGE area of interest to me as people very close to me are discovering problems with mental illness. I cannot imagine the things that my loved ones are going through and how scary it must be to face reality and deal with it. What is even scarier though, is the fact that I am their support system, and in two very different situations that i need to make sure that I’m educated in. The biggest thing for me, is being able to have the tools necessary to help my loved ones, coworkers, and future students, cope with the things that could happen to them.
If you are equipped with the First Aid knowledge to help someone with a broken arm, why are you not equipped with the First Aid knowledge to help someone who is having an anxiety attack? Mental Health First Aid is equally important to have- for everyone.
This course challenged my thinking, made me laugh, cry, and think about how big of a deal this really is. We watched a video about a man getting hit by a car. People run up to him, see if he’s okay, and realize he’s not physically injured on the outside- they all walk away with the attitude ‘he just doesn’t want to go to work’. This video was so eye opening in the sense that we basically do this to people everyday, if they don’t look like they are hurting on the outside, we ignore the inside.
In the end, I have to say that I am proud. Proud of the fact that this is a course that is being offered everywhere, even in our small town. I am proud of the fact that I, as a new teacher was able to have the opportunity to engage in such a serious topic, and learn the tools that I will need to better the lives of so many people around me. And, I am proud of my loved ones, who are making such huge steps and progressing in ways that make me smile and want to hug them all at the same time.
After this weekend, I really do see things a bit differently as I educated myself about so many things surrounding mental illness and mental health importance. You should do the same thing, you will not regret it!
Check out the Canadian Mental Health First Aid website,website, and the hashtags on Twitter, or ask ME for any info you may need!
Miss Onufreychuk 
Hi Kayla, that sounds like an amazing opportunity to have. I will definitely be checking out their courses. Thank you so much for telling about this experience. I think as future educators we have to always be looking out for they children who will cross our path and with more and more students struggling with mental health it is highly beneficial to be trained just like first aid.
Thanks for reading Bre! I absolutely agree with you, like I said and learned in the course – why is that we can learn to fix someone on the outside, but not on the inside. That is exactly what this course is all about and is really helpful in getting an insight on what exactly ‘hurt on the inside’ may look like.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, Kayla! I love that courses like this are being offered. I know it has been said time and time again, but it is time to end the stigma around mental health. We are taught to try and save peoples’ lives when they are physically hurt, so why not mentally? I wish that courses like this were part of our university education. I feel that the importance of getting to know all learners and helping them however we can is greatly stressed in our university classes, yet they never seem to give us practical information on how we can actually help. I am looking forward to finding out more about this course as I think it is invaluable for future educators!
Hey Ashton! Thanks so much for taking the time to read though my post! I agree that this really is something that I feel the university is missing in terms of our education program. We know that there is a stigma that is starting to transform, but it also will do so by having it in our classrooms as well. By taking this course, not only are we becoming more aware of our students, but also their parents and community members that they are involved with. I really encourage anyone to participate in this, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask! I would love to point you in the right direction! 🙂
Hi Kayla,
Thanks for sharing! This is SO cool. I had no idea they offered courses like this! Where was this session offered – back home or in Regina?
I love your point that if people don’t look like they are hurting on the outside, we ignore the inside. This is part of the privilege associated with mental illness (it’s invisible so people can pass as not having it) but also a hugely harmful thing (because others don’t see the signs and can’t provide support). I would love to take this training so I can recognize the signs that a person is struggling with mental health and learn strategies to support them.
What kinds of activities/scenarios did you do? What was the biggest thing you learned? I would love to hear more about your experience!
Thanks for taking the time to read my post Raquel! I really hope to spread the awareness of this awesome course to other educators as well, since it’s not that well known. It was actually put on by leisure services back home in Foam Lake, but is offered throughout the province. I totally agree with the outside vs inside hurt and is something that I really reflected on after watching that video (I wish I could find it!). The way the course was set up was super interactive and lead in ways that we wanted it to be. Our instructor was good at creating a safe environment for us all to talk about personal experiences, ask questions and interact. We did sections based on each specific type of mental illness (anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, substance abuse, bipolar) and learned about what it means to have a symptoms, and what that might look like. We then moved through the acronym ALGEE that applied to every section (similar to how regular first aid has ASSESS acronyms, etc.). With using ALGEE, it took us through appropriate steps to take when assisting each individual in their own situation. It was really helpful having that consistency throughout the whole course. As for activities, they varied so much, but were all very helpful to give insight into each type of mental illness. My favorite, and one of the most insightful for me, was an activity we did to recognize the struggles that people with schizophrenia deal with. For this, we were to have a regular, everyday conversation with a partner, while two other people whispered a given script into both ears (things such as ‘this person works for the government, they’re a spy, don’t trust them, they’re out to get you’). Not only was this TERRIFYING to experience, but really gave me an insight into how difficult and scary this must be, and people everyday are facing it.
Thanks again for really looking into my post and this course, you can check out the website in the link I’ve provided and hopefully find a course that is near you so you can become certified too!
Thanks for giving some more detail on what the course was like! It sounds like an amazing opportunity. I will definitely be checking out where/when courses are offered!
Very very cool! I hadn’t heard of, nor considered, this. But it makes so much sense.
I’m on the website you linked to, looking for opportunities that line up with my schedule.
Thank you.