“It was clear to me we needed to do this [Mental Health First Aid]. I wouldn’t let it go…My sense is we have a responsibility to pay close attention to the issues and look after our community.”

“As adults, we sometimes forget how hard it was being an adolescent. When we see a kid who is just miserable at school, we might think they choose to be that way – or that it’s just part of adolescence. But in fact, they might be in a mental health crisis, one they certainly did not choose and do not want. When a teacher says, ‘How can I be helpful?’ that is a powerful question.”

“I use it daily when I interact with people because the key thing is to recognize when people may be suffering and to offer them assistance. So, when I’m working with a coworker and see that something is ‘off’ in their attitude or something is different in the way they’re interacting with me, I know I need to say, ‘Are you okay? I’m here to talk if you need help.’”

“Mental Health First Aid gives you good, actionable things to do when you see someone struggling. If there was a person choking, you’d want to do the Heimlich, or you’d want to have someone who knew CPR, but when someone is having a panic attack or an anxiety attack, I wasn’t sure what actionable steps to take.”

“During the second day of [Mental Health First Aid] training, one of our participants left the class because of a phone call that needed his attention. He was gone for about 45 minutes. He returned to the training room a little pale and sat in class appearing to recollect himself. About an hour later, when we were going over ALGEE (the 5-step action plan) for one of the last times in the training, the man raised his hand and said, “ALGEE really works.” He proceeded to tell us that he had to step out of the training and talk to his daughter who is away at college. His daughter was distraught and in a ‘very dark place’ in her mental state. He continued that he was caught off guard and for a moment did not know how to respond until he thought about what we were just discussing in class. His demeanor was serious and astonished on how well the ALGEE Action Plan worked and he then went through each letter and explained how he used it to help his daughter through a difficult time.”

“Our small community, Camanche, Iowa, has been greatly affected by suicide. We have suffered 22 losses during the last 15 years. The knowledge we all took away from [Mental Health First Aid] was priceless. From the moment this class began we were able to relate to the information that was provided to us due to the great communication skills and knowledge of the two Instructors. While mental health is a topic that many wish to not discuss, we feel that the Mental Health First Aid class was essential in bringing the knowledge and awareness our community is striving for. This program is a top-notch service to area communities like ours and we are so grateful for the opportunity to have this program in our area.”

“The day after I completed the training, my usually reliable friend didn’t come to church services, which was out of character. My roommate and I were concerned because we knew she was struggling with depression and anxiety, so we texted her. She responded that she was having a really bad time and she decided to stay home. It was a red flag, so we left early and went to see her….As soon as we walked into her apartment, the ALGEE action plan I had learned in the training clicked in….She’s working with a counselor and doing much better now. She still has her ups and downs, but when I see her, she seems to be dealing well with her challenges. I’m not sure how differently things would have gone if I hadn’t had a plan to follow in that situation. But thanks to my Mental Health First Aid training, I didn’t have to find out.”