Course to offer certification in mental health first aid
WAYNESBURG — Someone you know may be experiencing a mental illness or crisis.
If you would like to know more about how to respond, you should consider registering for the free, eight-hour course offered by Greene County Human Services (GCHS).
The course is geared for family and loved ones of older adults; aging services and social service agencies; senior center staff and volunteers; nursing, rehabilitation and assisted living facilities; healthcare providers and home-care workers; mental health workers; and faith communities.
The course will be offered in two segments from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on both May 2 and 3 in the Greene County Human Services Large Conference Room, third Floor of the Fort Jackson Building, 19 South Washington Street in Waynesburg. To get a certification, registrants must attend both sessions.
The registration deadline for the course titled Mental Health First Aid for Older Adults and Those Dealing with Later-Life Issues is April 21. For a registration form, call 724-852-5276, ext. 676.
The course facilitators are Maribeth Tarpley-Garrett, GCHS block grant specialist, and George Legos, family services coordinator. Those who take the course will be given a take-home manual for future reference.
“The course doesn’t teach therapy, but gives you the tools to be a first responder for those experiencing a mental crises until professional help arrives,” Tarpley-Garrett said. “The tools learned will be used to help the elderly population through a five-step action plan.”
These include assessing risk of suicide or harm, listening nonjudgmentally, giving reassurance and information, encouraging appropriate professional help and encouraging self-help and other support strategies.
“The course uses a module for helping those 60 and older who may be eligible for services through the Older Americans Act or Area Agencies on Aging,” Tarpley-Garrett said. “Other modules are appropriate for youth, veterans, adults, those pursuing higher education and public safety workers like correction officers, probation officers and law enforcement officers. Although a lot of the information overlaps, each module has scenarios that work specifically for a particular group.”
This is the first time GCHS is offering the module used for older adults and those dealing with later life issues. The course is limited to 25 participants because it’s meant to be interactive and to give participants the opportunity to share their thoughts and experiences.
The course will provide different scenarios and provide the signs and symptoms of a range of mental illnesses. As an example, a person with a rapid heartbeat may not necessarily be having a heart attack but might be suffering from anxiety.
The course will also address later life issues. Certain disorders may bring about physical afflictions and vice versa. Depression may lead to sleeplessness or getting more sleep than necessary, overeating, headaches, crying spells and constipation.
During the course, participants will learn which professionals to contact for help — doctors, psychiatrists, social workers, counselors and support groups. If the older individual doesn’t need professional help, they can be encouraged to get involved with self-help books, exercise programs or to get support from family, friends, a church or social network.
At the end of the course, participants will get an older adult mental health certificate good for two years. After the two-year term, they may recertify by answering a set of questions available on the internet.