A first aid kit is helpful when you cut yourself or get a burn and if someone stops breathing, you can administer CPR. These medical skills are helpful for physical ailments, but how do you care for someone in the midst of a mental health crisis? Mental Health First Aid is a nationwide program that trains members of a community on how to interact and help someone with any mental illness.
Jermine D. Alberty, with the Missouri Institute of Mental Health and Beth Yoder- Stein, with Wyandotte Center discuss the importance of being trained in mental health first aid and how the 12-hour training session works. According to Yoder-Stein, being frank about suicide, getting treatment and other difficult subjects is key when talking with someone having a mental health episode.
To learn more about Mental Health First Aid and to sign up for training sessions in town, check out Mental Health KC's website and Missouri Health First Aid.
