Mental Health First Aid in Indigenous Communities
By Kim LaFountain, LMHC
What is Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)?
Many of us would know how to help if we saw someone experiencing a physical health challenge or crisis such as a heart attack. We would start CPR, or at least, call 911. But few of us would know how to respond if we saw someone experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis such as a panic attack or someone showing signs of suicide.
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an early intervention, public education program designed for people without a behavioral health background to learn how to identify and respond to signs and symptoms of a mental health or substance use challenge.
The most recent and only Youth MHFA community-specific module is for Tribal Communities and Indigenous Peoples. The content included in the curriculum includes feedback gathered from surveys, focus groups, curricula reviewers and subject matter experts. Youth MHFA for Tribal Communities and Indigenous Peoples is designed for adults ages 18 and older who work with Indigenous youth, family members of Indigenous youth, and other individuals who are a part of, connected to or support Tribal Communities and Indigenous youth. It helps participants confidently recognize and respond to an Indigenous adolescent aged 12-18 who may be experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge or crisis.
The course covers:
Unique impacts of mental health and mental health challenges on Tribal Communities and Indigenous youth.
Risk factors and protective factors specific to Indigenous youth.
How mental health topics apply to their community, family and selves.
Applying the MHFA Action Plan (ALGEE) in scenarios that reflect the unique needs and experiences of youth of Tribal and Indigenous Communities.
National, regional and community mental health resources for youth of Tribal and Indigenous Communities
How is Bradley Hospital Working to Meet the Needs of Young Indigenous People?
Bradley Hospital has been working with Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness to identify ways that we could help to meet the specific needs of their Indigenous young people. I was recently invited to Maine to co-instruct Youth MHFA for Tribal Communities and Indigenous Peoples. Maine has four Indian tribes, the Maliseet, Micmac, Penobscot, and Passamaquoddy, known collectively as the Wabanaki, "People of the Dawnland." Each community maintains its own tribal government, community schools, cultural center and each manages its respective lands and natural resources. Although most of Maine's Native people belong to one of these four federally recognized groups and reside on tribal lands, other Native people live in towns and cities across the State.
The Youth MHFA for Tribal Communities and Indigenous Peoples was instructed by Saige Purser, Co-Senior Director of Wabanaki Public Health (WPH) and me in Bangor, Maine. When a MHFA instructor is not from the Tribal and Indigenous community in which they are teaching, it is highly encouraged to co-train with a member of the community.
To make the course more culturally responsive, it is important for non-indigenous instructors be aware of and acknowledge the following:
Demonstrate a connection to the community.
Every community is different.
Don’t make assumptions about the experiences of youth and their families.
Availability, accessibility and acceptability of mental health services may have a significant impact on communities.
Acknowledge the role that culture and language plays in the healing and resilience of indigenous youth and their families.
Acknowledge the past when discussing the current. Such as the impact of historical trauma, cultural trauma and intergenerational trauma.
Discrimination has a significant impact on mental health.
Before delivering the course, we collaborated to understand more about how the community talks about mental health, mental wellness, substance use, resilience, grief, loss, trauma and suicide. It was also important to understand recent challenges and mental health crises in the community, and local resources and harm reduction initiatives. We also spoke about ceremonies and practices to open and close the course. Although the MHFA curriculum is 8 hours, we decided to offer the course over two 6-hour consecutive days to allow time for breaks and discussion.
How Is The MHFA Performing?
Surveys of the newly certified Mental Health First Aiders revealed high satisfaction. When asked about the overall response to the course, participants reported the course was helpful and informative and/or has better prepared them for the work that they do professionally, making them more able to recognize a crisis and have supportive conversations.
Thanks to the experience of delivering Youth MHFA for Tribal Communities and Indigenous Peoples of the Wabanaki Nations, the Bradley MHFA team would like to develop relationships and expand the program to other indigenous communities. Please email bradleyreach@lifespan.org if you would like to discuss.
DISCLAIMER:
The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
If you or your child are in crisis or experiencing mental health problems related to seasonal affective disorder or other have other mental health concerns, please seek the advice of a licensed clinician or call 988 or Kids Link in Rhode Island.
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