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Mental Health First Aid is a 12-hour training course that will be offered to Service Coordinators and providers to help them develop skills to help someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. Just as CPR training helps a layperson without medical training assist an individual following a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid training helps a layperson assist someone experiencing a mental health crisis.
The evidence behind Mental Health First Aid 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. Specifically, studies found that those who trained in Mental Health First Aid have greater confidence in providing help to others, greater likelihood of advising people to seek professional help, improved concordance with health professionals about treatments, and decreased stigmatizing attitudes.
Statistics show that an estimated 1 out of 4 Americans have a diagnosable mental illness. Research on early childhood development shows that parental mental illness is a significant risk factor for young children. Mothers of young children have higher rates of depression than any other group of people. Service coordinators and providers working with families of young children with delays and disabilities need to be aware that mental illness can be a factor impacting the development and relationships of the young children we are serving. Mental Health First Aid will equip Service Coordinators and Providers to Assess whether mental health issues may a factor influencing the child's development and equip them to then access the appropriate intervention services.
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