EVERYONE is
familiar with first-aid and it ' s a mandatory requirement in most workplaces , institutions and everyday organisations . Someone is always on hand to stem the flow in a potential crisis – should the need arise . The majority of us are not walking about secretly masking as Doctors and waiting to pop-out and diagnose everyone by an article we ' ve read on Wikipedia .
In a true crisis , we are taught mouth-to-mouth , CPR and not to move somebody who has taken a fall . Mostly , it ' s common sense but life saving initiatives are drummed into us all . But where does that leave someone in a mental health crisis ?
SIGNPOSTING FOR HELP
In reality , there isn ' t much different to the person involved . Perception in society is that there isn ' t the same sense of urgency and attitudes towards mental health in general are still behind the times . A simple 12 hour course developed originally from Australia is a fresh approach to tackling these attitudes and supporting people in the midst of crisis too .
Scotland ’ s Mental health first aid ( SMHFA ) is not designed to make anyone overnight professionals , just like being trained as a firstaider doesn ' t make you a Doctor . It ' s about managing immediate risks and signposting an individual to the right help and understanding their point of view . Although the NHS does roll out training in Scotland it is primarily focussed at those working in the voluntary sector and within the NHS .
In times of crisis , an individual decision could shape a life but for one SMHFA trainer , her life has been changed by a decision to drop the security of a fulltime wage and take the risk of building up a business with the aim of passing this message on to as many people as possible across the whole of Scotland .
COURAGE
Amanda O ' Connell made that brave decision and is now working independently as an instructor all across the country . Courses have been set up from Aberdeen to Glasgow , with individuals and businesses the main targets for a reasonable fee . Amanda explains to me why she made this radical career change .
She said : “ I realised that there were very few courses out there at evening or weekends . “ If someone wanted to do this course , but wasn ' t part of their job then most courses were at a time unavailable to them . “ My motivations for setting up a business running this course around Scotland were mainly to make the general public more aware of the course , and also make it as accessible as I could for them , particularly at days , times and locations where there were not courses already being offered .”
Talking about mental health every-day can ' t be easy but Amanda reveals her motivations behind the project . She continues : “ What I loved most that I wasn ' t sitting learning about the theory behind mental health conditions . “ I was learning the practical skills about how best to help people – and it was these skills that I needed in order to make a difference to people , not theory . “ It was an interactive course – activities , discussions , case studies and film clips .
“ I thought the course would be very heavy in content , but the fact it was so activity based made it enjoyable and I learned so much from it .”
EMPLOYERS
Talking to employers about your own mental health isn ' t an easy subject to broach but the openness Amanda shared with her previous employer encouraged this path . Her ex-boss identified that if they had perhaps done the training than it would have made things easier , when Amanda or any other colleague took ill due to their mental health .
Amanda explains : “ I could see that it is not just those who work in the care sector who need mental health first aid skills – it is EVERYONE as we all have times where we are helping someone with a mental health problem . “ I felt that offering this training would be something I would be good at and I really wanted to make a difference .”
The more we talk about mental health amongst society the more we can approach the subjects delicately in the future . The government has implemented a mental health strategy although Amanda , like many others , believe that SMHFA should be made compulsory to employers- like standard firstaid care is .
She continues : “ I believe that for every employer it is mandatory to have trained general first-aiders , it should also be mandatory to have trained mental health first-aiders .
NEED TO DO MORE
“ But it ' s not just the government that should be doing more here – it ' s people from all walks of life . “ I feel at a disadvantage here as I am wary of campaigning for something people will think I am just out to make money from .
“ But we need more mental health first-aiders . Everywhere . Throughout all walks of life .”
Details of all courses in Scotland can be found at www . smhfa . com and for a full list of course by Amanda then head to
www . amandamhscot . com
TESTIMONIAL FROM AN�ACTIVE�POLICE OFFICER
“ I recently had to
visit a male who had attempted suicide .
I felt that after taking your course I was able to unerstand this male much more and be able to speak with him with much more empathy .
Although my uniform hindered progress which really is not a surprise .”
Follow Amanda on Twitter :
@ amandamhscot