Youth Mental Health First Aid

http://www.sjsu.edu/counseling/MHFA/

There is no one who can claim to have NOT been affected in some way by a mental health concern.  All of us at one point in our lives will be touched in some way by a mental health “issue”.  I am not talking about a crisis or a diagnosis….it may simply be a serious event that creates in our life or the life of someone we know, a mental health concern. 

So what is a Mental Health Concern? 

They can happen daily, all around us, from the person struggling with grief (which looks different to everyone) or a true mental health disorder.  Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is designed to help everyone be more aware.  In the MHFA class we learn that MHFA is like “regular” first aid for the mind.  Like “regular” first aid, no one is at fault, no is blamed – we just do what we can to manage the situation while waiting for professional help.  This is exactly what Mental Health first aid teaches as it relates to concerns around – our mental health!

Preferred Family Healthcare has several trainers around Missouri who can facilitate an 8 hour certification class in Youth MHFA as well as an hour long “taste of” class.  This class is designed to educate people about what a mental health concern looks like in a youth, and the difference between “normal” adolescence and a concern.  The course includes ways to recognize risk, protective factors and concrete steps to take when a mental health concern is identified.  The beauty of this course is that it does not ask anyone to diagnose and treat; but instead, to take 5 simple steps to apply first aid. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn-Bzief7lk

For more information check out our website at www.pfh.org, to schedule a class in the St. Louis Region contact me – Jean Sokora jsokora@pfh.org or Brigid Woodhead - bwoodhead@pfh.org 

Praise for "Clean"

I have never written a review on a book before, however I want to shout from the rooftop’s you must read this book,  Clean by David Sheff.  Reading this book will give you one of those ah-ha experiences of life where all the little pieces and opinions you have collected in your head about addiction will be brought into sharp shocking focus as David provides passionate objective investigative style understanding of a war within our country where 250,000 Americans die every year.  Addiction is a preventable, treatable disease, not a moral failing. As with other illnesses, the approaches most likely to work are based on science — not on faith, tradition, contrition, or wishful thinking.

 

Clean offers clear, cogent counsel for parents and others who want to prevent drug problems and for addicts and their loved ones no matter what stage of the illness they’re in. But it is also a book for all of us — a powerful rethinking of the greatest public health challenge of our time.

Article written by: Paul Lambi, Director of Organizational Advancement at Preferred Family Healthcare

Intensive In-home Services

Preferred Family Healthcare offers a very needed service called Intensive In-home Services (IIS). IIS are short-term crisis intervention services that occur within your very own home. Many people may chose this option when their families are at risk with the possibility of their children receiving out-of-home placement. IIS allows those families to remain together, supporting each other through a crisis situation. This program is unique in that it offers intervention and other services in a very flexible and adaptive way. 

Our services include:

• Resolving child abuse/neglect
• Promoting child and family safety
• Parenting education
• Child development training
• Support to individual, families and couples
• Sexual abuse, domestic violence, and substance abuse prevention education
• Communication and negotiation skills
• Home maintenance/housekeeping skills
• Developing linkages with community resources
• Job readiness skills
• Other services that meet the specific needs of the family.

In our program, through referral, we focus our services to assist those families by responding immediately to a crisis, focusing on families' strengths, having 24 hour accessibility to specialists, and the knowledge to meet the needs of the family.

If a referral is appropriate, then the family will be assigned to a specific specialist. The services provided are up to 20 hours per week and range from 4-6 weeks in length. In addition, IIS provides follow-up aftercare services for up to 90 days. IIS believes the best safety net for a child is parent(s) who are caring and capable, rather than the child being placed outside the home. Lastly, IIS offers counseling, education, listening, modeling, problem solving, child management, communication and negotiation skills, use of community resources, housekeeping skills, and a reasonable alternative to out-of-home placement.

To learn more about other services, please feel free to contact us today.

-Maxwell Law