Peer Mental health First Aid goes beyond regular mental health or psychological first aid.
Life Surfers Peer Mental Health First Aid (PMHFA) is a 10 hour evidence based training focussed at providing fundamental skills to a lay person, to be a first responder to a peer, experiencing an ongoing mental health issue or a mental health crisis.
When a person has an immediate medical condition, such as a snake bite, first aid treatments may be used to cure it in the short term. PMHFA can be used to manage mental illnesses at the beginning or onset, while someone is going through a mental health problem or has a sudden mental health crisis. There are many effective ways to respond to people with mental illnesses, and you can play a vital role in offering support and facilitating the individual and his or her families in finding appropriate care. You can be a great Peer Mental Health First Aider and help ensure safety and appropriate professional help to a Peer in college or workplace. You help the person as a Peer Mental Health Support in an ongoing help till a professional help may be reached. This may take a few peer support sessions. This does not make you a Counsellor or Psychologist but a Peer Mental Health Aider. You can ensure safety and mental health support to a peer at workplace or college.
WHY PMFHA MATTERS?
1 in 5 Indian
suffer from Mental health Issues (NIMHANS 2020).
150 million
need intervention < 30 million receive it (MHI).
< 3 Psychiatrist
per 1 lack even lesser Psychologists and Social workers (WHO).
$ 1.03 trillion
estimated loss to economy by 2030 due to mental health ( pre covid WHO).