tsk, man, that MHFA recommendation post came from a terf, I deleted my reblog and am just gonna share it myself here, including a tweaked copypaste of what I said there:
Mental Health First Aid is a national program to teach the skills to respond to the signs of mental illness and substance use.
I got this certification while serving in AmeriCorps last year! :) I highly recommend it, the paper is only good for 3 years but the skills will be useful forever.
You'll learn about early crisis intervention: how to recognize when someone isn't doing well emotionally and how to intervene if someone is struggling. It's not the same as crisis intervention you'd get from a suicide hotline or emergency room; think like a step below that. It's more comparable to, well, physical first aid, where you're learning CPR and how to bandage minor cuts. But you'll also learn how to diagnose problems above your pay grade and how to refer people to resources that can actually help them.
If you love someone with a mental illness/substance abuse challenges and have ever found yourself saying things like "I want to reach out and help but I don't know what to say/am worried I'll make things worse" this course literally teaches you how to do it. For you in particular I cannot recommend this certification enough.
It does cost money, but like I said I got mine through my job. If you work in public health, health care, emergency medical services, or anything like that, maybe talk to your employer, they might pay for you!













