The Psychology Club hosted an 8-hour Mental Health First Aid Training Seminar in the Susquehanna Room in Myer Residence Hall Sunday, January 30. The training session was conducted by certified mental healthcare educators from a local branch of Philhaven, a non-profit behavioral healthcare organization. Philhaven serves clients in south central Pennsylvania, with offices in Mt. Gretna, Lancaster, Elizabethtown and various other locations.
The Philhaven Mental Health First Aid Training Seminar can prepare people with little to no mental health clinical training to identify and respond to someone dealing with mental health problems. “During the training, we learned about various mental disorders and some signs and symptoms that would help us to distinguish them,” states Megan Kuczma, a member of the Psychology Club. “The main takeaway of the training was learning how to help stabilize a person experiencing a crisis or starting to develop a mental disorder until the appropriate professional help can be provided.”
Throughout the course of the day, attendees of the seminar were exposed to various exercises that helped them better understand what someone experiencing a mental health crisis may be feeling. Videos were shown to share the stories of individuals dealing with mental health issues and to depict the proper ways to offer help to such individuals. After completing the 8-hour seminar, attendees walked away with valuable knowledge on how to help others dealing with mental health issues. Attendees also received a mental health first aid certification, making the event especially valuable for people looking to work in the mental health field. “Overall, it was a wonderful learning opportunity and the instructors made all of the information easy to understand while keeping a positive environment,” says Kuczma.
It was Dr. Paul Dennis, a professor of Psychology here at Elizabethtown, who informed the Psychology Club of this training opportunity offered by Philhaven and who encouraged the students to organize a session here on campus. Kayla Furman, the president of the Psychology club, understood the impacts that this training seminar could have on the campus community and thus, she became the main student organizer of the event. Furman, along with other members of the Psychology Club, expressed hopes that the seminar would help the campus community feel “more equipped to support and assist those individuals experiencing a mental health disorder in a non-judgmental manner”.
Many of the students who attended the mental health first aid training agreed that the seminar could help the campus community develop a better understanding of what mental health first aid actually is. As stated by the mental healthcare educators from Philhaven, “In the same way that CPR and basic first aid training can prepare an individual to assist in a medical emergency, Mental Health First Aid Training can prepare an individual to respond to signs of mental illness and substance use.” Mental disorders and crises are just as serious as physical injuries and, in fact, can sometimes be more draining and dangerous to the individual experiencing the crisis. But now, with over 30 trained mental health first aid responders across the campus, an individual struggling with handling a mental health crisis will have additional resources to turn to for help.
Megan Kuczma lays out a plan of action for what the campus community can do to better support those individuals experiencing mental health issues. “Listen to your friends. Pay more attention. If you feel that they may be struggling with something, talk to them about it. Let them know you care. I think many people are scared of mental disorders or crises because they aren’t very widely understood and society still places a stigma on those individuals with disorders. Breaking this stigma and letting others know you care are the first steps towards helping others and potentially saving lives.”
–Shaye Lynn DiPasquale