About one in five Canadians is living with a mental health problem in any given year.

Some mental health problems are more common than many physical health problems. While people often know a lot about physical illness, most people have little knowledge about mental illness. This lack of understanding promotes fear and stigma. It prevents people from seeking help early and seeking the most effective help. It also keeps people from providing appropriate support to friends, colleagues, family members and people around them, simply because they do not know how. MHFA Canada teaches mental health first aid skills. The course does not train people to be therapists, counsellors or mental health professionals. The philosophy behind MHFA Canada is that mental health crises, such as suicide, may be avoided through early intervention. If crises do arise, then members of the public can take action that may reduce the harm that could result.

The MHFA Canada course has been reviewed by Canadian experts and provides guidelines for giving first aid. MHFA Canada encourages first aiders to take additional training in suicide prevention, physical first aid and dealing with substance-related problems. MHFA Canada content adheres to the first aid guidelines being established by MHFA Australia. The guidelines cover a range of developing mental disorders and mental health crisis situations. These guidelines were produced using the Delphi method, which is a way to achieve consensus from a panel of experts. The first aid actions in the guidelines have been rated as important or essential by expert panels of professionals, consumers and care providers. To date, guidelines have been produced for depression, psychosis, deliberate self-injury, and suicidal thoughts and behaviours.

The Instructor

Amy Baskin is a community educator with Canadian Mental Health Association Kamloops Branch. She is passionate about raising awareness and reducing stigma through increased knowledge. Her qualifications and experience are in community development, education, outreach and the arts. Before CMHA, Amy worked for ASK Wellness Society as an Outreach Worker with the Social and Health Options Program with Sex Workers. She has a City Guilds Stage Two qualification in Adult and Further Education and a first class honours Bachelor degree in Drama and Education from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. (UK). At the heart of her training style is a commitment to: creativity; inclusion; diversity; respect and vulnerability

Sponsored by the Office of the Provost and Vice-President Academic.