I recently took a course in Mental Health First Aid. Haven’t heard of it before? Neither had I until I had come across it when looking to sign up for something else. What is Mental Health First Aid and how can it be a benefit in our communities?

Mental Health First Aid originated in Australia and has recently been slowly accumulating in the world of mental health. Although you may find most of your classmates to be social workers or special education teachers it is a free course offered by the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS.org) and open to the general public. You can see if a course is offered in your area by checking out the website here: mentalhealthfirstaid.org

But what is Mental Health First Aid? Modeled after the physical First Aid most of us are aware of, Mental Health First Aid is designed to…