CHENANGO
COUNTY
–
Mental
health
matters.
That’s
why
the
Chenango
Health
Network
offers
free
Mental
Health
First
Aid
Training.
Two
courses
will
be
offered
in
June,
one
standard
course
on
June
20
and
one
for
people
who
work
with
youth
on
June
22,
both
sessions
are
open
to
the
public
at
no
cost.
After
completing
the
course,
participants
will
receive
Mental
Health
First
Aid
certificates
valid
for
three
years.
The
program
is
designed
to
help
people
identify,
understand,
and
respond
to
signs
of
mental
health
or
substance-use
challenges.
“Chenango
Health
Network
is
very
proud
to
offer
this
curriculum,
this
mental
health
education,
and
at
no
cost,”
said
Mental
Health
First
Aid
Training
Coordinator,
Tiffani
Gager.
“We
care
deeply
about
mental
health
and
substance
use,
we
care
deeply
about
supporting
the
community
and
meeting
them
where
they’re
at,”
she
added.
Gager,
who
teaches
the
course
all
over
the
country
in
various
capacities,
has
a
degree
in
human
services
with
an
emphasis
on
criminal
psychology,
and
has
spent
her
life
working
in
an
out
of
the
mental
health
system
and
human
services.
She
is
certified
to
teach
youth,
adult,
fire,
EMS,
corrections,
law
enforcement,
higher
education,
active
military,
veterans
and
families,
rural
communities,
and
older
persons.
Gager
also
sits
on
the
Chenango
County
Suicide
Prevention
Coalition.
Story Continues Below Adverts
What
is
Mental
Health
First
Aid?
Mental
Health
First
Aid
training
aims
to
teach
participants
how
to
recognize
when
someone
may
be
experiencing
a
mental
health
or
substance-use
crisis
and
how
to
respond
with
empathy,
support,
and
the
appropriate
resources.
Gager
emphasized
that
this
training
is
not
clinical,
they
do
not
teach
how
to
diagnose
or
treat
someone.
Instead,
participants
learn
to
offer
nonjudgmental
support,
listen
effectively,
and
connect
people
to
professional
or
community
resources.
“We
don’t
treat
or
diagnose,
but
it’s
the
underlying
issues
and
understanding
what
risk
factors
are
and
the
fact
that
we
as
humans
are,
and
I
mean
this
in
the
most
loving
way,
complex
and
fragile,”
she
said,
“Nothing
is
black
or
white.”
A
critical
piece
of
the
training
is
learning
the
acronym
ALGEE:
Assess
and
approach,
Listen
non-judgmentally,
Give
reassurance
and
information,
Encourage
appropriate
professional
support,
and
Encourage
self-help.
Past
participants
who’ve
given
feedback
to
Gager
on
the
course,
mention
how
they’ve
used
ALGEE
to
handle
different
situations,
and
were
grateful
to
have
learned
it.
Along
with
recognizing
the
signs
and
symptoms
of
someone
who
may
be
experiencing
a
mental
health
or
substance
use
challenge,
the
training
aims
to
reduce
stigma
and
start
conversations.
Gager
explained
that
Mental
Health
First
Aid
training
helps
participants
recognize
that
every
person
has
a
unique
life
journey
and
story.
“It
provides
us
with
practical
tools,
guidance,
and
confidence
to
approach
others
with
compassion,
respect,
and
empathy
rather
than
judgment,
stigma,
or
shame,”
she
said.
“Mental
Health
First
Aid
reminds
us
that
when
we
avoid
conversations
about
mental
health,
substance
use,
suicide,
self-harm,
or
diagnosis,
we
also
risk
avoiding
conversations
about
hope,
strength,
healing,
change,
survival,
resilience,
self-discovery,
and
thriving,”
said
Gager.
If
taking
the
course
virtually,
this
month,
you
can
expect
to
receive
downloadable
versions
of
what
Gager
deems
the
“Mental
Health
First
Aid
Bible”
otherwise
called
the
Mental
Health
First
Aid
Participant
Manual.
She’ll
lead
the
class
through
exercises
and
conversations
related
to
difficult
topics
like
self-harm,
suicide,
and
psychosis.
How
to
recognize
and
act
The
course
covers
a
myriad
of
topics
including
trauma
and
stressor
related
disorders,
first
aid
for
panic
attacks,
anxiety
and
depression,
and
much
more.
The
training
prepares
individuals
to
think
differently
in
emergency
situations.
Story Continues Below Adverts
An
example
Gager
gave
was
a
first
responder
arriving
to
a
scene
of
someone
struggling
to
breathe.
Mental
health
first
aid
training
equips
them
to
assess
and
listen
first
rather
than
jumping
to
a
physical
response
like
CPR,
and
they
just
might
figure
out
the
individual
is
having
an
anxiety
attack
rather
than
a
heart
attack.
“Mental
health
first
aiders,
we”re
going
to
listen.
We’re
going
to
meet
you
where
you’re
at.
We’re
going
to
figure
out
where
your
mental
health
emergency
is
within
your
body,”
said
Gager,
adding,
“it’s
exactly
like
first
aid
because
you
want
to
pinpoint
the
nature
of
the
emergency.”
She
says
Mental
Health
First
Aid
training
is
similar
to
traditional
physical
first
aid
training
in
that
you’re
taught
how
to
assess
a
situation
and
how
to
safely
engage
with
an
appropriate
response.
“
Is
it
safe
for
me
to
engage?
What
am
I
observing?
What
do
I
need
to
listen
to?
What
do
I
need
to
look
for?
And,
you
know,
sometimes
they’re
going
to
need
some
bandages
and
sometimes
they
just
need
you
to
show
up
and
say,
hey,
I
was
here,”
said
Gager.
Participants
also
learn
about
self-care
for
the
mental-health
first
aider.
Gager
reframes
self-care,
calling
it
an
essential
necessity
instead
of
a
selfish
act.
“We
can’t
be
a
support
for
somebody
else
if
we
don’t
take
care
of
ourselves,”
said
Gager,
adding
“as
a
first
aider,
when
you’re
engaging
with
somebody
and
showing
up
for
them,
you’re
taking
on
what
they’re
telling
you.
You
need
to
process
that.”
How
to
register/Course
Details
The
classes
on
June
20,
and
22,
are
free
and
open
to
adults
in
the
community.
The
youth-focused
course
is
intended
for
adults
who
work
with
or
support
young
people,
not
for
minors
themselves.
Participants
will
receive
a
Mental
Health
First
Aid
certificate
from
the
Chenango
Health
Network
granted
by
the
Substance
Abuse
and
Mental
Health
Services
Administration’s
(SAMHSA)
Mental
Health
Awareness
Training
(MHAT)
program.
To
register
contact
Tiffani
Gager,
the
Mental
Health
First
Aid
Training
Coordinator
at
the
Chenango
Health
Network
by
tiffani@chenangohealth.org
or
phone
(607)
244-3211