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CGC certifies 37 DFEMS cadets in Mental Health First Aid
DFEMS cadets list down signs they know of that show someone is listening to them. The activity introduced the concept of listening nonjudgmentally, which is crucial when providing assistance as it can help an individual to feel heard and understood.
The Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.’s Community Guidance Center recently certified 37 Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services cadets in Youth Mental Health First Aid, as well as shared a presentation on stress management.
Cadets of the 14th cycle of the fire academy learned about the different types of stress, how to control their reactions to stress, and coping skills and strategies to increase resilience toward stress.
The recently completed MHFA training marks the 12th MHFA training this calendar year. The CGC has certified 1,159 individuals in the CNMI, Palau, and Guam in either the MHFA youth curriculum, adult curriculum, or both.
The Youth MHFA is an evidence-based, public education program that teaches participants how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders in youth. The training gives adults who work with youth the skills they need to reach out and provide initial support to children and adolescents who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem, and help connect them to the appropriate care.
The Youth MHFA introduces common mental health challenges for youth, reviews typical adolescent development, teaches a 5-step action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations, and highlights the importance of self-care for the mental health first aider. Training includes topics on anxiety, depression, substance use, eating disorders, and attention deficit hyperactive disorder.
The stress management presentation was led by CGC’s Leiseschangmwar Iguel, Elora Masga, and Kimberly S. Tudela; and the Youth MHFA training was led by CGC’s Guadalupe Camacho and Becky Dania Mettao. Both events took place at the DFEMS Training Center on Capital Hill.
For more information on MHFA, visit https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org. (PR)
