{"id":12926,"date":"2016-03-29T00:02:55","date_gmt":"2016-03-29T00:02:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ala.asn.au\/?p=12926"},"modified":"2016-03-29T00:02:55","modified_gmt":"2016-03-29T00:02:55","slug":"first-aid-for-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ala.asn.au\/first-aid-for-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"First aid for mental health"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"CounsellingDiamond Valley Learning Centre in Melbourne is running mental health first aid courses to help staff and students develop skills to identify and help others who are struggling emotionally.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If a tutor or student accidently cuts themselves\u00a0during a cooking class or hammers a finger
\ninstead of a nail in a workshop, you know to reach\u00a0immediately for the first aid kit. But what do you
\ndo when someone in your centre is having a mental\u00a0health crisis?<\/p>\n

Diamond Valley Learning Centre recently ran its first Mental\u00a0Health First Aid course to find out. The course trained participants in how to recognise when someone is going\u00a0through a mental health crisis, and how to help them get through it.<\/p>\n

Course leader and mental health first aid instructor Francis\u00a0Acquah has 25 years experience as a mental health nurse. He knows from first hand experience how important it is\u00a0for people who might be struggling emotionally to get help sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n

\u2018As a mental health nurse I worked in triage, at the\u00a0preventative end of the service where we were able to assess people and do some early intervention. But I\u2019d go\u00a0and visit the ward and there\u2019d be all these people who\u2019d been admitted because they might have been violent or\u00a0they\u2019d been brought in by the police. It was so frustrating because so many people didn\u2019t seek help until they\u2019d hit rock\u00a0bottom.\u2019<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to be a mental health professional to be\u00a0helpful, Francis says. Learning the skills for making that first approach and taking that first step to talk about what might\u00a0be troubling someone is key.<\/p>\n

\u2018We can often feel fearful about approaching someone we\u00a0see might be suffering. But you don\u2019t have to be an expert to offer someone support.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018I teach people how to assess situations and listen non judgmentally, to invite the person to talk about the problem and follow up afterwards. Having the skills and the right approach you can make a big difference in people\u2019s lives.\u2019 <\/p>\n

\u2018I aim to give people a good knowledge of warning signs of depression and anxiety, drug and alcohol problems so they can intervene early and make sure people get help.\u2019 <\/p>\n

The course is not designed to turn participants into psychologists, or to teach people how to diagnose or treat a mental illness, much like someone trained in physical first aid isn\u2019t expected to be able to set a broken arm. But it does help people pick up mental distress signals. <\/p>\n

Francis has taught doctors, nurses, financial counsellors, lawyers and adult educators \u2013 anyone who might be working with people who could be in mental health distress. The twelve-hour class is structured around an action plan that covers steps including how to approach, listen and give support to someone in distress and how to encourage them to seek help. <\/p>\n

\u2018Every class is different. I tailor the training to the needs of the group. But I always include opportunities for people to talk, share experiences and interact. I use video, group work, scenarios and small group discussion \u2013 all of these help participants develop confidence and skills and knowledge.\u2019
\n\"DVLC's
\nFor most of us a piece of bread burning in a toaster that triggers a fire alarm is little more than an annoying interruption to our work day.<\/strong> But for people from war torn countries or who\u2019ve experienced bushfire, a fire alarm can trigger panic and distress. <\/p>\n

Renee DeBeer, Diamond Valley Learning Centre\u2019s volunteer coordinator says it is incidents like these that prompted her to investigate setting up a Mental Health First Aid course. <\/p>\n

\u2018I wanted to get the knowledge and the tools to be able to approach people I can see might be struggling and to be able to better nurture our team of volunteers.<\/p>\n

‘It was a fantastic course. I feel well equipped and know now what to say and what not to say. I\u2019m more observant now. I notice symptoms and signals. For example, I\u2019ll notice now if someone seems a bit withdrawn, or if their work isn\u2019t up to scratch or if they might look unusually scruffy. I see these signals and I\u2019ll make an approach and say, \u201cAre you all right, do you need to talk?\u201d\u2019 <\/p>\n

\u2018In the past I wouldn\u2019t have said anything and I\u2019d leave people to battle on their own because I wouldn\u2019t have known what to say and I\u2019d be worried about making things worse.\u2019 <\/p>\n

\u2018We have a lot of EAL students and we really have no idea what they have been through before they came here. It\u2019s very hard for them to find work, they have visa worries, money worries and so they\u2019re under a lot of stress.\u2019 <\/p>\n

\u2018Diamond Valley Learning Centre is a lively vibrant place, there\u2019s always food on the table, people to meet and talk to and that attracts our volunteers. But regardless of the brave, professional mask people put on, for some volunteers it can be hard not to bring their problems to work. Some of our volunteers are looking for a social environment to work in because their partner has died or their family has moved away. Others are people wanting to get back into the workforce and are working here to help them get back into the swing of things and they can face all sorts of pressure too.\u2019 <\/p>\n

Renee has used the training a lot since she completed the course. Now she feels more able to talk to someone she notices might be having difficulty. <\/p>\n

\u2018I will take the person aside and ask them how they\u2019re going. Often that\u2019s all the invitation people need and they might\u00a0say \u201cI\u2019m having a terrible day\u201d or \u201cThings at home are really bad\u201d.\u2019 <\/p>\n

Her goal is to help people with information and support until they can get professional help. Renee says she\u2019s overcome her fear of saying the wrong thing and is more confident about broaching the subject of mental health. She believes she\u2019s a better people manager as a result. <\/p>\n

Diamond Valley Learning Centre<\/a>\u00a0
\nMental Health First Aid Australia<\/a>\u00a0
\nPhoto credit: Counselling and Support<\/a> CC BY SA 2.0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Diamond Valley Learning Centre in Melbourne is running mental health first aid courses to help staff and students develop skills to identify and help others who are struggling emotionally. If a tutor or student accidently cuts themselves\u00a0during a cooking class or hammers a finger instead of a nail in a workshop, you know to reach\u00a0immediately […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":854,"featured_media":12933,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFirst aid for mental health - Adult Learning Australia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ala.asn.au\/first-aid-for-mental-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"First aid for mental health - Adult Learning Australia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Diamond Valley Learning Centre in Melbourne is running mental health first aid courses to help staff and students develop skills to identify and help others who are struggling emotionally. 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