It takes a village to support people experiencing mental health challenges. That's the premise behind "Mental Health First Aid" training that prepares everyday people to respond when others are in crisis.
The training is provided by the McLean County Mental Health First Aid Collaborative, led by the county health department in partnership with Illinois State University’s Central Illinois Area Health Education Center (AHEC) and other organizations.
The collaborative is looking for a new Healthy Minds Alliance AmeriCorps member to help get more area residents trained in Mental Health First Aid this year.
Central Illinois AHEC Director Sharon Mills said the stigma around mental illness and substance use disorders often keep people from seeking help or prevents them from receiving adequate care. The Mental Health First Aid training seeks to change that.
“This course is really about reducing stigma related to mental illness so that we can begin to have conversations around it and normalize it, in a sense—because we all have mental health, we all desire to be mentally well, just as we desire for physical health,” Mills said.
"We all have mental health. We all desire to be mentally well, just as we desire for physical health."
One in five adults in the U.S. have been diagnosed with a mental illness. Mills said these are our friends, family members and neighbors. She said Mental Health First Aiders learn to recognize signs and symptoms of a person in crisis and develop an action plan to help.
"It's really for anyone (who wants) to be able to provide that response, whether it be with others that they work with, people in their community groups, even strangers that they might run into on the street,” she said.
About 2,600 people already have been certified in McLean County, Mills said. Even more have been trained throughout central Illinois AHEC’s 16-county coverage region.
She said Mental Health First Aiders are equipped to assess the risk of suicide or self harm, listen non-judgmentally, give reassurance and information and encourage appropriate professional help. While mental health resources are available, Mills said, people in crisis may not know about them, or feel comfortable reaching out.
“There can be a really long delay between the onset of someone having some mental health concerns and the time that they actually get treatment or help for them,” she said. “The earlier that we can intervene as Mental Health First Aiders and maybe even suggest some of those appropriate professional supports or help, the better the longer term outcomes can be.”
There are two training pathways available: one course is geared toward adult mental health, the other toward children between the ages of 12 and 18. Mills said more specialized education also is available.
“There is a Mental Health First Aid module for higher education. There's one for law enforcement, rural communities, older adults. The course really can be tailored—depending on the availability of instructors—to any number of specific types of groups or occupations as well,” Mills said.
She said everyone could benefit from receiving the training, regardless of if they ever think they’ll need it.
Mills said the Central Illinois AHEC team is small and without the help of three previous AmeriCorps members, the Mental Health First Aid program wouldn’t have been able to reach as many people. She said the new member will help further expand training efforts.
The AmeriCorps member will complete a 10-month stint beginning this summer. To apply for the position, email a cover letter and resume by mail to Sharon Mills at smmills@ilstu.edu. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
To learn more about Mental Health First Aid training classes, or for information about becoming a trainer, call (309) 888-5539.
