Mental Health First Aid – Standard (Virtual)

Description

The Mental Health Commission of Canada reports that one in every five Canadians experiences a mental health problem within a given year. While we often know a lot about physical illness, there tends to be less knowledge about mental health or substance use problems. This lack of understanding leads to fear and negative attitudes towards individuals living with these problems. It prevents people from seeking help for themselves and from providing appropriate support to people around them.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is the support provided to a person who may be experiencing a decline in their mental well-being or a mental health crisis.

Course participants will learn how to:

• Recognize signs that a person may be experiencing a decline in their mental well-being or a mental health crisis
• Have conversations that encourage a person to:
• Talk about declines in their mental well-being
• Discuss professional and other supports that could help with recovery to improved mental well-being
• Reach out to these support
• Assist in a mental health or substance use crisis
• Use MHFA actions to maintain one’s own mental well-being

Intended Audience

This course is beneficial for anyone in all sectors of the industry

Related Info

This 9-hour course opens with a self-directed module (Module 1) that focuses on the information and strategies that participants will discuss and practice throughout the virtual classroom modules (Modules 2 and 3). Course participants are required to complete Module 1 before participating in Module 2 and 3.

Upon registration, participants will receive the “MHFA Participant Reference Guide” that outlines MHFA actions for developing mental health and substance use problems, and mental health and substance use crises.

Speaker

Jason Alderson, Owner and Lead Instructor Living Inspired Mental Health Training

Jason Alderson is the owner and lead instructor of Living Inspired Mental Health Training.  He has been a member of the Canadian Forces for over 16 years and during that time, has been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. He became a Road to Mental Readiness (R2MR) Instructor and Unit Coordinator for several hundred soldiers in his unit and later, endeavoured and achieved becoming a Mental Health First Aid Instructor.

Throughout his career and deployments, he has not only taught but has counseled soldiers dealing with mental health problems and disorders. He has seen and experienced a great deal with regards to stress, anxiety and trauma but more importantly, has the experience and training to instruct others to interact confidently about mental health and assist in a crisis.