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You’ve probably heard of First Aid training, but are you familiar with Mental Health First Aid or Psychological First Aid? What are they, and what do they teach you?

Mental Health First Aid is a training course designed to give members of the public the skills to help someone who is experiencing a decline in their mental well-being or mental health crisis. The evidence behind the program demonstrates that it builds mental health literacy, decreases stigmatizing attitudes, and helps individuals identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness (From the website www.mhfa.ca/en/common-questions-about-mhfa).

Psychological First Aid equips learners in developing a personal understanding of the effects of stress, loss, trauma and grief on others, with emphasis on self-care and personal protection. Learners will be introduced to the Red Cross Look, Listen, Link, Live model - a resiliency-building approach to emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing that teaches learners how to support themselves and others to cope with the effects of various types of stress (From the website www.redcross.ca/training-and-certification/course-descriptions/psychological-first-aid/psychological-first-aid).