Just as CPR helps you assist an individual having a heart attack, mental health first aid enables you to assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis. In the mental health first aid course, you learned risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns, strategies for how to help someone in both crisis and non-crisis situations, and where to turn for help.
Mental health first aid teaches about recovery and resilience. The belief is that individuals experiencing these challenges can get better and use their strengths to stay well.
When you take the course, you learn how to apply the mental health first aid action plan in various situations, including when someone’s experiencing panic attacks, suicidal thoughts, or behaviors. Non-suicidal self-injury. Acute psychosis, for example, hallucinations or delusions, overdose or withdrawal from alcohol or drug use reaction to a traumatic event.
The opportunity to practice through role-plays, scenarios, and activities makes it easier to apply these skills in a real-life situation.
