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Mental health awareness month May 16 mental health first aid course filling fast

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Wearing green ribbons in support of Mental Health Awareness Month, from left, are Rachel Larson and Missy Holohan with Life Connections, Kari Harbaugh and Rose Boardman of the GMH Family Resource Center, and Mandy Ludovissy of Helping Services. (Press photo by Molly Moser)

By Molly Moser

One in five Americans will be affected by a mental health condition in their lifetime. Guttenberg Municipal Hospital and County Social Services are hosting a free 8-hour course on mental health first aid (MHFA) for members of the public on Tuesday, May 16, at the Guttenberg Marina Center, 715 S. River Park Dr. 

Mental Health First Aid is an eight-hour training course designed to give members of the public key skills to help someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis.

Course participants will learn to apply a single strategy in helping someone through a panic attack, engaging with someone who may be suicidal, supporting a person experiencing psychosis and helping an individual who has overdosed. In practicing the intervention strategy, Mental Health First Aiders learn the risk factors and warning signs of specific illnesses such as anxiety, depression, psychosis and addiction; engage in experiential activities that build understanding of the impact of illness; and learn information about evidence-based treatment and support – ultimately building participants' mental health 'literacy.'

“I have this certification and find it very useful in my job,” said Family Resource Center coordinator Kari Harbaugh. “Many agencies and school personnel take this course but really anyone who works with the public will find it useful.” Harbaugh noted that a local police officer has taken the course and also finds it helpful on the job.

The goal of Mental Health First Aid is to increase mental health literacy. Like CPR training helps a non-medical professional assist an individual following a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid training helps an individual who doesn’t have clinical training assist someone experiencing a mental health crisis. In both situations, the goal is to help support an individual until appropriate professional help arrives, with the added underlying intention to promote health literacy.  

Participants will study a five-step action plan to assess a situation, select and implement interventions and secure appropriate care for the individual in need. The certification program introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, builds understanding of their impact and overviews common treatments. 

The certification earned in the course remains valid for three years. The course instructor will be Bob Lincoln, chief executive officer of County Social Services, a 22-county mental health and disability region.

Harbaugh organizes one session of this course each year in the area. “I am also working on offering a Youth Mental Health First Aid training certification in August if I can get it to work with the instructor’s schedule,” she told The Press. “I have many schools asking.”

Evidence behind the program demonstrates that it makes people feel more comfortable managing a crisis situation and builds mental health literacy — helping the public identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness. Evaluations in randomized controlled trials and a quantitative study have proved the CPR-like program effective in improving trainees’ knowledge of mental disorders, reducing stigma and increasing the amount of help provided to others.

The course is free but space is limited and reservations are required. To sign up, contact the Family Resource Center at 563-252-3215. For more information about the program, visit www.thenationalcouncil.org/about.

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