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STAFF GETS MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING TO SUPPORT CO-WORKERS
Employees in the WPS Human Resources Department and district campus monitors are now certified in Mental Health First Aid so they can be proactive in providing support for their co-workers. The training is the latest example of district efforts to meet the mental health challenges of both staff and students.
The National Council for Mental Wellbeing supports the full-day training program which has certified an estimated three million people in the United States. The council says its goal is to ensure that everyone in America has a connection with someone who understands and responds to signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges.
“If adults aren’t supported, we aren’t going to be much good for our students,” said Dr. Melisa Sandoval who joined the Human Resources Department earlier this year in the newly created position of Director of Wellness. “Our campus monitors and human resource employees have daily contact with our staff. They are the ideal people to have on the front lines as we battle mental health challenges.”
Employees who have gone through training and certification are better equipped to support co-workers, specifically in these areas:
- Risk factors and warning signs of mental health and substance abuse challenges;
- Information on depression, anxiety, trauma, psychosis, and substance use;
- How to apply a 5-step action plan to help someone who is showing:
- Early signs of a mental health or substance use challenge
- Worsening signs of a mental health challenge
- Signs of a mental health crisis
- Evidence-based professional, peer, and self-help resources to support protective factors;
- Wellness strategies for Mental Health First Aiders, using the 8 Dimensions of Wellness model.
Just last week, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Mental Health and Well-Being of Parents. Dr. Murthy called for everyone to pay close attention to the growing percentage of parents who report having high levels of stress.
