When you use the skills you learn in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), you are the first line of support for a person in need. You are there to help them feel less distressed, and you can be a vital source in helping them seek further assistance.
Your body language, what you say, and how well you listen can have a powerful impact. The quality and type of support you offer through listening can enhance coping and self-esteem. With an accurate view of mental health challenges and using a strengths-based holistic perspective, you can help others to help themselves.
Mental Health First Aid is an early intervention public education program. It teaches adults how to recognize the signs and symptoms that suggest a potential mental health challenge, how to listen nonjudgmentally and give reassurance to a person who may be experiencing a mental health challenge, and how to refer a person to appropriate professional support and services.
You can also be an advocate, empower your community, and improve self-care. As a Mental Health First Aider, you can be the one to make a difference in the life of someone with a mental health challenge. Your actions can be a first step in someone’s recovery journey.
This training is provided FREE to South Carolinians and is all virtual so you may learn from the comfort of your own home or workplace.