First Aid for Mental Health
See the world through the eyes of others
One in every five Americans (52.9 million people) experience mental illness each year
The signs of someone struggling with mental health are often subtle, leaving many conditions undetected and therefore undiagnosed and untreated. It’s important to not only recognize these signs in ourselves but in our family, friends and colleagues so that we can give them the support they need when they need it.
Recognizing this gap in care and the results from the 2021 Clergy Well-Being Survey showing a steady decline in mental and emotional health, Wespath is offering first aid training for mental health.
First aid training for mental health is a two-part webinar training. Leading the training is Chris White, an international UK government hostage and crisis negotiator and First Aid for Mental Health trainer. This training will teach you how to identify and understand mental health challenges with empathy, and without judgment.
According to White, “We all have our ‘window on the world’ and that window is in a room. The First Aid for Mental Health concept of empathy is listening without judgment to earn the right to enter another person’s room and look at the world through their window.” First Aid for Mental Health teaches you how to be invited (or welcomed) into someone else’s room, see the world through their window and get them the help they need. It also teaches you how to accept and understand your own mental health needs, without embarrassment or shame.
Sessions
The Basics
The first session teaches the foundational concepts of mental health, the ability to identify when you or someone else may have mental health needs that require assistance and the skills to start a conversation and get them the help they need. Session 1 includes topics on:
- Current mental health challenges and statistics
- Influences, stress, vulnerability and self-awareness
- Stigma, discrimination and promoting inclusion
- Identifying and coping with stress; exploring our own ‘stress signatures’
- First Aid for Mental Health: principles to approaching and helping others
Follow-up items from Session 1:
Source: https://www.nami.org/mhstats
Meet the Training Consultant
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Chris White – Alert: 24 Senior ConsultantWith a deep understanding of the human factors that underpin mental well-being and resilience, Chris’ unique insights have helped people in crisis around the world. Chris is a leading international UK government hostage and crisis negotiator and First Aid for Mental Health trainer with extensive international experience in non-traditional, hostile and sensitive areas. In addition to his base in the UK, he has lived and operated in the United States, South Africa, Jamaica, Nigeria, Kenya, Iraq and Afghanistan, giving him a global perspective across a broad spectrum of cultures, religions, values and belief systems. A graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, Chris is a member of the International Security Managers Association Senior Executive Leadership Program and a First Aid for Mental Health professional. Chris belongs to a global network of fellow mental health and well-being professionals, enabling him to keep pace with changing global methodology and continuously develop his professional knowledge. Chris lives in England with his family and uses his spare time to engage with local community projects. |
Frequently Asked Questions
First Aid for Mental Health teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to those struggling with mental health. The training will give you the skills to recognize the signs and start a conversation with someone who may be going through a difficult time. First Aid for Mental Health strives to erase the mental health stigma and enforces the idea that it’s OK, not to be OK.