Training

Amser I Siarad can provide Mental Health First Aid Training and Youth Mental Health First Aid Training. Mental Health First Aid is the immediate help given to someone experiencing mental distress. Amser I Siarad is seeking to increase the pool of Mental Health First Aid Caregivers within the community with the following aims:

  • To recognise the symptoms of mental distress
  • To preserve life where a person may be a danger
    to themselves or others
  • To provide help to prevent the mental distress
    developing into a more serious state
  • To promote the recovery of good mental health
  • To provide comfort to a person experiencing
    mental distress.

Mental Health problems are extremely common. One in four people will experience a problem with their mental health in the course of a year. Despite the frequency of Mental Health problems, they remain misunderstood and are not often discussed publicly. When they are, and often in the Media they are presented inaccurately which leads to fear, stigma and discrimination. This in turn prevents individuals from seeking help. Many people are not well informed and often do not know how to respond. GPs, Counsellors and Mental Health Team members can all assist people with Mental Health problems. However, just as with accidents and medical emergencies, such assistance is not always available when a problem first arises. This is when members of the public can offer immediate aid and support the person to get appropriate help.
 
Amser I Siarad is seeking to skill up as many individuals as possible whilst working towards a community that makes it acceptable for individuals to talk openly about their mental distress, without a fear of rejection or discrimination, whilst promoting good Mental Health, Well-being and Recovery.

ASIST

ASIST is a two-day interactive workshop in suicide first-aid. ASIST teaches participants to recognize when someone may be at risk of suicide and work with them to create a plan that will support their immediate safety.

In the course of the two-day workshop, ASIST participants learn to:

  • Understand the ways personal and societal attitudes affect views on suicide and interventions
  • Provide guidance and suicide first-aid to a person at risk in ways that meet their individual safety needs
  • Identify the key elements of an effective suicide safety plan and the actions required to implement it
  • Appreciate the value of improving and integrating sui­cide prevention resources in the community at large
  • Recognize other important aspects of suicide preven­tion including life-promotion and self-care