We aren’t training how to diagnosis mental illness, but how to recognize signs and symptoms so that Mental Health First Aiders know how to help a person find the most appropriate care needed.
One in five adults is impacted by serious mental illness. Recent news about the loss of two celebrities by suicide has us all talking about suicide and mental health. At My Health My Resources (MHMR) of Tarrant County we want people to know where to go if they or someone they love or know needs help.
Mental health impacts all of us.
Thanks to funding from the Texas Legislature, MHMR and its partners have trained more than 3,000 teachers, educators and community members in Mental Health First Aid.
It’s important to have people in our community with the skills to help someone in cardiac arrest or to administer basic first aid. Yet each of us is more likely to come in contact with someone having an emotional crisis, not a physical one. Mental Health First Aid training is one answer to this need.
The eight-hour Mental Health First Aid workshop equips people with tools such as recognizing warning signs, familiarity with common mental health crises and ensuring everyone’s safety during a crisis.
The training outlines a five-step action plan that prepares those of us witness to an emotional crisis to assess a situation, select and implement appropriate intervention, and help a person in crisis or developing the signs and symptoms of mental illness, including suicide.
Individuals who successfully complete the training are Mental Health First Aiders. They receive a certificate and gain greater knowledge about community resources, in addition to information about where and when to make referrals.
We aren’t training how to diagnosis mental illness, but how to recognize signs and symptoms so that Mental Health First Aiders know how to help a person find the most appropriate care needed.
Who benefits from this training? Our community.
MHMR has 30 Mental Health First Aid instructors prepared to expand our reach. We collaborate as a partner on a Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council Foundation 16-county initiative poised to train 10,000 community members in Mental Health First Aid during the next three years.
MHMR has provided training to 10 school districts, four universities, five local agencies and two charter schools in both Adult and Youth Mental Health First Aid. During the last four years, 3,328 school district staff, 970 community members, 107 instructors, and 133 university staff have received these life-saving skills.
“The Mental Health First Aid training has provided all staff with a knowledge base from which they can better assist the growing number of students seen in our offices each day suffering from mental health issues,” said Condoa Parrent, director of counseling for Tarrant County College Northeast Campus. “The training has provided our front-line staff with more confidence in their ability to recognize and proactively address the needs of our students.”
Crowley ISD is thankful for the training provided by MHMR in Youth Mental Health First Aid, said Theresa Paschall, coordinator of counseling services for Crowley Independent School District.
“It has equipped staff members from classrooms, transportation, maintenance and food services with tools to provide initial help to a student or person in need, and then leading them to the appropriate help, as needed,” Paschall added.
MHMR is part of the National Council of Behavioral Health’s campaign to train 1 million people in Mental Health First Aid.
If you find yourself asking or thinking, what can I do to help? Join us in our effort to have as many Mental Health First Aiders in our community as possible. Help us change lives in our community. We encourage any individual or any business interested to contact us to learn about Mental Health First Aid and sign up for this training.
More information: Call MHMR at (817) 569-4342 to register for Mental Health First Aid.
Susan Garnett is CEO of My Health My Resources (MHMR) of Tarrant County. She has more than 30 years of experience working in the field of mental health and disabilities.