APT Foundation is running an exciting new nationally approved course called Mental Health First Aid (MHFA). MHFA is a groundbreaking public education program that helps the people identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders.
Kin DiMeola, LCSW, LADC assisting trainees with MHFA excercise
Many of us have been trained how to respond if someone chokes, but few know how to recognize a mental health crisis, much less what to do about it. Recognizing the statistic that one in four Americans, in any year will experience symptoms of severity enough to quality for a diagnosis for a mental illness, MHFA aims to provide an overview, introduce participants to risk factors and warning signs, and teach people how to respond to emotional emergencies (such as anxiety, depression or psychosis). It’s similar to medical first aid in that it does not teach people how to diagnose or treat. Rather, it teaches everyday people how to recognize, provide comfort, and refer someone to services.
APT Foundation’s accredited MHFA instructors have provided the interactive course to members in our local community and at several statewide community agencies. Feedback from participants who completed our MHFA trainings has been very positive.
One trainee shared, “I would like to extend our heartfelt thank you for providing this training to organizations like ours. Without a program such as Mental Health First Aid, we would have continued to feel helplessness.” Another participant commented, “The knowledge I and my staff took away from this class was priceless. From the moment this class began we were able to relate to the information that was provided to us due to the great communication skills and knowledge of the two instructors.”
Kathy Floyd, LCSW answering trainees questions on warning signs.
If you would like our accredited MHFA instructors to host the interactive course at your organization, workplace, school, or place of worship please contact Bethany Watkins, Human Resource Manager, for recruiting and training at 203-781-4600 x1925 or BWatkins@aptfoundation.org.
