LEARNING HOW TO HELP
More need than ever for Mental Health First Aid course
The past year-plus has been challenging, and a lot of people are struggling with their mental health. Reports of anxiety and depression are on the rise for both adults and children after months of uncertainty, restrictions, isolation, and fears about the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We’ve seen people experience a lot of loss in the last year, and not just death,” says Lorena Rodriguez, child advocacy Kids’ Minds Matter program coordinator at Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. “There’s a loss of special events, a loss of time with family, a loss of employment. There are all of these stressors that have affected everyone’s mental health in one way or another.”
That’s why the Mental Health First Aid course offered by Golisano and Lee Health is more important than ever. Currently being conducted in a virtual format, the course teaches participants how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders.
“What I can feel, and what I hear from so many different agencies that join us, or from parents or teachers, is there’s such a need for this class,” says Rodriguez. “We’ve just seen such an increase in the signs and symptoms of anxiety and depression in both adults and children.”
In the past, many people said they took the class because they thought it sounded interesting or they were required to. “Now they’re saying, ‘I’m here because so many people are struggling, and I need to know what to do,’” says Rodriguez. “We’ve seen that shift where people are just way more engaged and want to help others.”
The online Mental Health First Aid class is offered in two modules: one that teaches adults how to help other adults, and another geared toward teaching adults how to support children and adolescents. Participants learn about the signs and symptoms of mental illness or substance use for the specific age group, how to interact with someone in crisis, and how to connect that person with help. Lee Health tries to offer each version of the course at least once a month.
“Being able to understand and to notice, that’s the biggest thing,” says Rodriguez. “With Mental Health First Aid, you really learn to notice. We also go over how to approach people who may be showing signs and symptoms. Sometimes that can be the most challenging part, when you know that something is off, but you don’t know where to start or how to have that conversation.”
The Mental Health First Aid course is offered free of charge, thanks to Kids’ Minds Matter, an initiative of Lee Health that works to raise awareness and funds to support increased access to pediatric mental and behavioral health care in the five-county Southwest Florida region. Rodriguez expects virtual options to remain in place, even after in-person classes can resume once the pandemic has gotten under control.
“We have seen benefits to going virtual, by lifting some transportation barriers for parents or reducing scheduling conflicts,” she says. “I’ve been in public education for 10 years that was all face-to-face, and this was a huge shift for me. I had my doubts. Was this going to be effective? Am I going to have people engage in the classes? But people who don’t even know each other are supporting each other, saying you’re not alone. That’s an important message that comes across in all of our classes: We’re all going through this. That’s been nice to see.”
To register for Mental Health First
Aid or to learn about other classes and workshops currently being offered, visit leehealth.org/classes and select “Women & Children.” To learn more about Kids’ Minds Matter or to donate to the initiative, visit kidsmindsmatter.com.