Mental health first-aid course launches
The Bermuda Hospitals Board is expanding its mental health first-aid programme with a new corporate course.
It is being launched to complement the regular training and BHB is also looking into bringing sessions for children to the island.
“The corporate course is an eight-hour course rather than the two-day 12-hour course, which is a more intensive course, but gives essentially the same information in a tighter format,” Shawnee Basden, one of the island’s three mental health first-aid trainers, told The Royal Gazette.
“We hope this will make it more accessible to people who don’t have two days free.”
The first course, which was postponed because of Hurricane Nicole, will be held on November 1.
Participants will be trained in how to identify and get help for colleagues with stress, anxiety, substance use or other mental-health challenges.
Mental health first aid was developed in Australia in 2001 by psychiatric nurse Betty Kitchener and her husband, Anthony Jorm, a psychology professor at Melbourne University.
Since then it has spread to more than 17 countries, including Bermuda, Britain and the United States.
The two-day, 12-hour course was introduced in Bermuda by Ms Kitchener in 2011.
“It’s become a huge programme,” Dr Basden said. “To date, we have run 18 courses — almost 400 individuals.”
The programme teaches participants how to help persons with mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, psychosis and substance abuse.
“You learn about mental health in general at first and everything that goes along with that, like the stigma, which is really important in Bermuda because we are such a small country.”
The course is open to everyone and attracts people from all walks of life.
“We’ve had MDs come and do the course; judges — there’s always something to learn.
“It’s very practical. It’s not just all of these stats and figures, it’s actually what’s helpful and harmful.
“They’re not training you to be a doctor or a nurse. It’s training you to keep the person safe and get them to the appropriate professional.
“In the course, we go through all these scenarios; we practise them.
“We show videos showing the different problems that can come up, how to talk to them and, of course, in the middle of all that, how do you keep yourself safe.”
Dr Basden encouraged people to attend the course, which costs $100 and runs every two months, because “this touches everybody”.
“None of us is an island. Although you may never have experienced mental health problems, chances are somebody in your family, somebody you care about, somebody at work, will.”
And she added: “Even if we feel great, it’s not just us we have to worry about.
“In Bermuda, we don’t talk about it. It’s very stigma-driven because you can’t see it.
“It’s often misinterpreted and not understood. This is why mental health first aid is really important.
“The most important thing it does is get information into the public discourse.” According to Dr Basden, the BHB is also looking at children’s courses, but she cautioned that this would be an expensive process to bring in trainers and to pay for the training package. However, she is optimistic that the programme could be started within the next year.
“Hopefully it’s in the works. We’re hoping, to do this in conjunction with the Department of Education so that we can start implementing child mental health first aid.”
There are two potential courses that deal with children listed on the Australian Mental Health First Aid website.
The teen course teaches high school students how to provide mental health first aid to their friends, and was developed in response to research indicating that young people prefer sharing problems with peers.
The youth course is geared towards adults who work or live with adolescents, and teaches them how to assist adolescents who are developing a mental health problem or in a mental-health crisis.
Mental health first aid has some key elements that are consistent for all diagnoses.
These have been summarised as a Mental Health First Aid Action Plan, under the acronym ALGEE.
• Action 1: Approach the person, assess, and assist with any crisis
The first task is to approach the person you are concerned about, look out for any crises, and assist them with them.
Find a suitable time and space where you both feel comfortable.
If the person does not initiate a conversation with you about how they are feeling, you should say something to them.
Respect the person’s privacy and confidentiality.
• Action 2: Listen non-judgmentally
When listening, it is important to set aside any judgments made about the person or their situation, and avoid expressing those judgments.
Most people who are experiencing distressing emotions and thoughts want to be listened to empathetically before being offered options and resources that may help them.
The first-aider needs to adopt certain attitudes and use verbal and non-verbal listening skills that allow them to really hear and understand what is being said to them, and make it easier for the other person to feel they can talk freely about problems without being judged.
• Action 3: Give support and information
Once a person with a mental health problem has felt listened to, it can be easier for the first-aider to offer support and information.
The support to offer at this time includes emotional support, such as empathising with how they feel and giving them the hope of recovery, as well as offering practical help with tasks that may seem overwhelming at the moment.
Action 4: Encourage the person to get appropriate professional help
The first-aider can also tell a person about any options available to them for help and support.
A person with mental health problems will generally have a better recovery with appropriate professional help.
However, they may not know about the various options that are available to them, such as medication, counselling or psychological therapy, support for family members, assistance with vocational and educational goals, and assistance with income and accommodation.
Action 5: Encourage other supports
Encourage the person to use self-help strategies and to seek the support of family, friends and others.
Other people who have experienced mental- health problems can also provide valuable help in the person’s recovery.
