Mental Health First Aid trains educators, parents to help youth

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Ana Salazar teaches Mental Health First Aid course at the Behavioral Health Center of Nueces County. The course is open to anyone who works with youth on a daily basis, such as pastors, youth ministers, school teachers, religious education teachers, as well, as parents, grandparents and other family members.

Dayna Mazzei Worchel for South Texas Catholic

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Cindy Garcia says knowledge is power when it comes to understanding and working with her middle school students in the Odem Independent School District. She got to put that knowledge to the test in a hands-on exercise in July during a Youth Mental Health First Aid USA class offered through the Behavioral Health Center of Nueces County.

The exercise was to illustrate and help people understand what it is like for a young person to have auditory hallucinations, or hear voices speaking, which are not real.

As course instructor Ana Salazar played the part of a student, who stood in front of Garcia and tried to have a conversation with her as another class participant whispered continuously in Salazar’s ear. The comments included things like “do you think you can trust her?” or “why is she looking at you?”

Garcia found it so distracting, she could not focus on what Salazar was saying. And she experienced firsthand the challenges of what it must be like to live with a mental illness.

“How can you concentrate with that? It was hard to pay attention,” Garcia said.

Salazar, who is a Licensed Professional Counselor Intern also certified to teach the Mental Health First Aid course, assured the class that the comments being said into her ear were benign.

“Imagine what it’s like for a child,” she told the class.

Mental Health First Aid, which was introduced into the U.S. in 2008 from Australia, is an 8-hour course that uses role-playing and simulations to demonstrate how to offer initial help to persons in a mental health crisis. The course is not meant to teach diagnosis of a mental illness, but is designed for immediate first aid for whatever is happening, Salazar said.

“It is first aid given until help arrives, just like for physical health,” she said.

The classes are usually given once a month at the Behavioral Health Center of Nueces County, although they can be conducted more frequently. The class given in July consisted of teachers, counselors and case managers from the city of Corpus Christi’s Juvenile Assessment Center. But the class is open to anyone who deals regularly with youth, including parents and grandparents and clergy, Salazar said.

There are five things people who take the class are trained to do under the acronym of ALGEE:

• Assess for risk of suicide or harm;
• Listen non-judgmentally;
• Give reassurance and information;
• Encourage self help and support; and
• Encourage appropriate professional help.

There is another similar course, which deals with mental health first aid for adults. Although the cost of the class is free, there are plans in the future to charge a fee for the accompanying paperback book which is used in the class, officials said.

The class has helped many who deal with youth daily to better prepare if a mental health crisis should happen. Among them is Teresa Martinez, the School Health Administrator for the Diocese of Corpus Christi and a registered nurse.

Teresa Martinez School Health Administrator

Most of the 19 Catholic schools in the diocese do not have a school nurse, so it is Martinez’s job to train the health coordinators in those schools in CPR and first aid. Martinez took the course in October 2014 and said she recommends that all teachers, counselors and health coordinators take it as well.

“Mental health issues are becoming more and more prevalent in our society and our school communities are not exempt. We have dealt with issues in our schools that range from anxiety, depression and self-harm to suicidal ideation and suicide,” Martinez said.

She said she would recommend the training for any job.

“I don’t know a single person who is not in some way touched by mental health issues,” Martinez said.

The training is also available to private and charter schools.

Two years ago, the Texas legislature passed a law which required all public school districts to offer employees who have contact with youth to offer some type of mental health and crisis training. Martha Garcia, director of mental health services at the Behavioral Health Center of Nueces County, said the mandate was in response to so much school related violence and shootings across the country.

“It’s hoped it will prevent a tragedy,” Martha Garcia said.

She encourages educators, parents and grandparents to call and take advantage of the summer to enroll in the course.

“We won’t turn anyone away,” she said.

For more information about Mental Health First Aid, contact Linda Fraser at the Behavioral Health Center of Nueces County at (361) 886-1090.