A Healthy Lynnfield and the Lynnfield Rotary are offering a certification program called ‘Mental Health First Aid’ (MHFA) to town residents and District 7390 Rotarians starting in February.
According to a press release, the program will educate volunteers about the identification of “mental health and substance use challenges among adults” and how to respond to its signs appropriately.
“A Mental Health First Aid program teaches skills to understand what others struggling with mental health challenges may be going through, and most importantly, how to respond with kindness and compassion,” A Healthy Lynnfield Substance Use Prevention Coordinator Peg Sallade said in the press release. “Partnering with Lynnfield Rotary for this effort is a natural collaboration.”
According to the press release, participants will gain crucial skills to evaluate the risk of suicide or harm. Focusing on nonjudgmental listening, they’ll master providing reassurance, offering valuable information, and encouraging individuals to seek professional help. The program will equip them with a diverse toolkit of supportive strategies.
“Mental health is an area that has been neglected by many people for too long because of the stigma associated with it,” Lynnfield Rotary president Christine Travers said in the press release. “The involvement of Rotary clubs across the nation joining together to address this theme will gradually reduce the stigma, and more and more people will begin to be comfortable around the issue.”
The program will be conducted at the Lynnfield Meeting House on Feb. 1 and Feb. 8 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. According to the press release, A Healthy Lynnfield’s North Reading colleagues, Lora Mirana and Lt. Derek Howe of the North Reading Police Department, who are trained to provide this certification, will facilitate the program.
“This year’s Rotary International theme on promoting mental wellness is all about creating hope in the world,” District 7930 Governor Lori Karas said in the press release. “The pandemic left us all feeling the heavy burden of loss and disconnection. We can all relate to this struggle. The good news is that even in times of crisis and adversity, there’s always hope.”
