Spring 2010 Newsletter

1. Contact/MHA offer groundbreaking Mental Health First Aid training
2. Contact/MHA partner with WCNY-TV and Excellus to bring attention to veterans’ challenges
3. Contact focuses on social and emotional learning (SEL) with summer training institute
4. Contact offers 24/7 coverage for HelpLine and MHA info and referral services
5. Children 1st receives state grant

Contact/MHA offer groundbreaking Mental Health First Aid training

Onondaga County is one of only two locations in New York State offering Mental Health First Aid, a groundbreaking public education training that reduces the stigma about mental illness and teaches people how to respond to a person in crisis. Contact Community Services and the Mental Health Association, with funding and training support from the Onondaga County Department of Mental Health, are preparing police, school staff, human services professionals, and other community members to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders.

Mental health problems are more common than most of us realize. It is estimated that one in four Americans will have a diagnosable mental disorder at some point in their lives, according to a U.S. Surgeon General’s report on mental health. Many others will face mental or emotional distress that requires support and self-help measures. Yet many of us remain reluctant to talk about mental health and are afraid to offer help because we are not sure what to do.

Medical first aid training prepares us to respond to heart attacks, injuries, or sudden illness. Without that training, we may look on helplessly wishing we could do something but not wanting to do the wrong thing and make the situation worse. Similarly, in a mental health crisis, our ability to provide Mental Health First Aid may determine how quickly a loved one, co-worker, student, or friend gets the right help and/or recovers.

Mental Health First Aid originated in Australia in 2000 and was introduced in the U.S. by the National Council for Community Behavioral Health Care and the Missouri and Maryland departments of mental health in 2008. It is being adopted across the U.S., as well as in Canada, England, Hong Kong and other nations because of strong evidence of its effectiveness and quality.

"The 12-hour trainings will be offered to a wide variety of audiences; however, school personnel are a primary target audience for the training," according to Pat Leone, executive director of Contact and MHA. "Contact is already well-poised to help schools become safer and assist students with challenges because of our established expertise in school violence and social/emotional health issues," she said.

The 12-hour training presents an overview of mental illness and substance use disorders in the U.S. and introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, builds understanding of their impact, and overviews common treatments. Those who take the 12-hour course to certify as Mental Health First Aiders learn a 5-step action plan encompassing the skills, resources and knowledge to help an individual in crisis connect with appropriate professional, peer, social, and self-help care.

For information about attending training or sponsoring one in your organization, contact npierce@contactsyracuse.org

Contact is so committed to Mental Health First Aid, that we trained our entire staff! Here are a few comments from our staff and others already trained as "first aiders":

• I think the strength of the course is the attention it bring to aspects of mental health disorders that we face in school populations (including issues parents might have). By giving a framework that is common to different departments it can help improve our ability as sentries to community with SRO officers, guidance counselors, hall monitors, and teachers aides.

• This course does a great job in covering many disorders that are applicable to our day-to day-jobs. I think that other people in the district would benefit by taking this course. It would put everyone within a school to get on the same page with how to deal with students with certain disorders.

• This course should be offered to the general public.

• I felt it was very helpful. I feel my awareness and sensitivity concerning these mental health issues has increased, especially how to approach the conversation with someone who is having mental health issues.