You might be wondering why the heck I jabber on about this course Mental Health First Aid USA, all day every day. Or why on earth I thought it would be feasible to let go of full-time employment and dive head first into self-employment. If so, it’s time you got some answers.
At the end of January 2016, I moved to South Lake Tahoe, California, without a job or any friends. I found a cheap bedroom to rent. A week later I started an entry-level job at Kirkwood Mountain Resort. It was less than a year since my mom passed away, and a year since I had been in the thick of the caregiving for a loved one with a terminal illness (where I did not know about the terminal part).
About one month later, my manager at Kirkwood told me about a course being offered, that I could not only attend for free, but the company would also pay my hourly rate while I was learning. It was called Adult Mental Health First Aid USA. There were only four or five other students in the course. We only needed two tables. I remember almost everyone’s faces.
During the course, I read through the bullet points of signs and symptoms listed under “Depression” and my jaw dropped further at each line because it described ME during my last year at Google, Inc. We did an exercise with a paper towel roll that miraculously made me feel empathetic for a person who experiences auditory hallucinations. And, I asked the question, “are you thinking of killing yourself,” so someone I barely knew then but has turned out to be one of the closest people in my life.
Since gaining the certification as a Mental Health First Aider, I have seen tears well up in the eyes of a friend, after we first saw each other in person after “that night.” We didn’t even talk in person or on the phone. But I asked that question. That question that I practiced during the course. That question that I learned needs to be asked. And I was thanked. Yes, you can be thanked for asking the most challenging and scary question you will ever ask. And then you will ask someone else. And someone else. This is my reality.
It’s my reality because I’ve learned. I’ve learned to notice the signs and symptoms and then respond. I’ve learned not to ignore them. Not to be lazy and selfish. But also to make sure I am engaging in self-care when I need it. I’ve learned the power of reaching out, inviting, and open-ended questions. I’ve learned to keep trying, but to give them space. I’ve learned, I’ve practiced, I’ve witnessed, and I’ve messed up. And I try again.
Three years later, I took the course again, to become re-certified (certification lasts every three years). It was during this course that I noticed I already knew the answers to a lot of the questions posed by our instructors, and I found myself pulled to lead discussions. I had to zip my lips to make sure that all the students who were first-timers got everything they needed and wanted from the course. That’s the day I figured out how I would finally impact the mental health in my community, and in the outdoor industry and tech spaces that I am so familiar with.
I’d become certified to instruct and facilitate the course myself.
Another year passed until I became a certified instructor (#pandemic). That was in January of 2021. I taught my first course in April 2021. Exactly one year since I taught my first course I decided I was going full boar into my businesses of freelance writing, teaching MHFA, and contracted analyst work.
And here we are.
Now I spend my days building my social media plan for the week and the month, biking my fliers around town, paying for an event advertisement in a newsletter, and digging into all the restraints I have not to check my email 24/7 to read the good or bad news from potential clients or editors, and have exciting video calls with people who are always appreciative of the fact that I am teaching this course.
But the best part is actually teaching the material and connecting with my students. I love each new sign-up and reading the answer to, “How do you hope to use the tools you learn from this course? i.e. Why are you interested in this training?” I hate the first 10 minutes of the virtual course when everyone is quiet and unsure. I relish in the end of day one or the beginning of day two when my class understands the power of discussion and has become comfortable with being vulnerable. More than anything, it is when we have completed the course, and I get to congratulate them for now being Mental Health First Aiders, and they are all smiles and thank yous and gratitude! I am filled with joy, and it will always keep me going from one course to the next.
Since offering this course I’ve also had companies reach out to teach a group of their employees, yet sometimes they want and need a shorter or more specific solution. After months to years of self-doubt and imposter syndrome, I am finally working on my own material, and have dates on the calendar for both a workshop and a presentation that I am building out. That feels astonishing. Keep an eye out for upcoming dates when I will launch the workshop and the presentation. The first ones will be highly discounted because I will use them heavily for trial and error, feedback, and to gather testimonials. If you’d like to be kept in the loop, sign up for the Dirt & Tears newsletter.
If you’re interested in registering for one of my upcoming virtual courses, or scheduling a course for your employees or another cohort, you can learn more about the options here: http://dirtandtears.com/mental-health-courses.