Author Archive: November 2020

In December 2020, I took a Youth Mental Health First Aid class. This training teaches parents, teachers and other adults how to support young people with mental health challenges, including how to use nonjudgmental listening skills and how to approach a young person and encourage...

Being a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Instructor fits perfectly with where I’m at personally and professionally. Working in the largest psychiatric hospital in Texas – with a staff of more than 900 – I see how many people really, truly care about other people, but don’t know what else they can do on top of day-to-day patient care. Thanks to MHFA, we’re establishing a staff support system where we...

“I didn’t want to go to the [Mental Health First Aid] training, but I did. I never thought I would use any of the information or remember it, but I did shortly after the training. My friend had been struggling with depression....

Taking Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training, being a First Aider, has changed me. I’ve been with Sutter-Yuba Behavioral Health (SYBH) for 25 years. SYBH provides services to individuals and families who are experiencing serious or ongoing mental health and/or substance use disorders...

How do you help someone who is struggling? How do you help them without making assumptions about what they are going through, and without making it worse?   These are all questions that I learned the answers to during the teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) class.   tMHFA teaches that teens prefer to tell other teens about what they...

Brandon was an outgoing, fun-loving and enjoyable co-worker whose life ended abruptly after a night of heavy drinking. His death had a profound impact on our staff as we learned he had been living with a mental health challenge and substance use that had gone unrecognized.   We serve...

As Executive Director of CASA for Kids of South Central Texas, I feel it is vital to continue to grow with our staff and volunteers, so I planned Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training for our staff, volunteers and community for Spring 2020. Then COVID-19 changed everything and...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and especially after the events of the past 12-plus months, it’s crucial that we equip ourselves with strategies and tools to take care of our mental health. Less than half (44%) of U.S. adults...

The past year has been anything but ordinary – the COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest, natural disasters and more have tested our resilience. While it can be difficult to remain hopeful during uncertain times, it’s important to believe we can overcome...

We learn how to help ourselves and each other if an injury or illness happens – pressure to stop bleeding, ibuprofen for a fever, going to the doctor for medication. But if someone you know is experiencing a mental health...

The National Council for Mental Wellbeing today announced the appointment of an independent advisory group consisting of some of the nation’s top behavioral health academics, who will lead research to deepen the understanding of how Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)...

It’s no secret that staying active benefits your long-term physical health, but many probably don’t think about the mental health benefits of moving your body. Talking about exercising can elicit a number of responses (groans or cheers, mostly) but in...