Mental Health First Aid

In July some of our staff at Cater Plus attended a Mental Health First Aid training course in the Hamilton Hub. The aim of the course was to teach them how to provide initial support to someone who may be experiencing mental health challenges or a mental health crisis until the crisis resolves or specialist help is accessed.

Here is what the team had to say about the course:
“Excellent course which has given me more confidence in understanding and responding to someone experiencing mental health challenges” – Karen MacKenzie

“I’d love to say Mental Health First Aid course was definitely worth to learn as it has myriad benefits for both of me and to help someone else. I could learn mental health literacy including recognize symptoms, the risk factors of mental health and the signs. It’s also helpful for maintaining stress level even when it does not necessarily get a professional advice. It was such a grateful opportunity, I would love to say thanks a lot to Cater Plus.” – Jia Jung (Carbine Café)

“The most outstanding thing for me is that Mental Health is a state of wellbeing, which can be applied to everyone, not just individuals experiencing challenges. The course provided really good tools on how to identify and be the initial support in mental health situation or crisis, for colleagues or people in my immediate or wider community. Being able to respond in the best way to de-escalate or improve what a person is experiencing is empowering. There is no pressure to be the solution, just the first point of assistance. This course has changed the way I think about and respond to mental health.” – Tracy Allen

The Mental Health First aid course opened my eyes to the many different aspects of mental health challenges. It is not black and white. We are not trained to fix a problem but we can be there for someone so that they do get the help that they need. The course has given me more confidence and tools to tackle situations that may arise with people around me. Highly recommend it!” – Anna Walkley