Canadian Safety Reporter

3 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2014 News | August 2014 | CSR Special training released for northern communities Adaptation focuses on unique determinants of mental health By liz Bernier lIFe In northern Canada comes with many rewards — but it also comes with a unique set of challenges. relative isolation — and limits on the immediate availability of health-care servic- es — can prove especially chal- lenging in the context of mental health and psychological safety. that's why the Mental Health Commission of Canada released a new training course around mental health first aid, adapted for northern communities. the adapted course has been de- signed to address the specific challenges involved with life in the north — such as seasonal af- fective disorder and isolation. "a mental health first aid course specifically designed for northerners provides us with the right tools to overcome the stigma associated with mental health," said Glen abernethy, minister of health and social ser- vices and an Mla for the yellow- knife Great slave lake riding. "this training course, along with our other programs to sup- port mental health, will start a conversation and find solutions for our residents." What is mental health first aid? the northern adaptation is based on the Mental Health Commission's basic Mental Health first aid training, which has been offered in Canada since 2007, according to Meaghon reid, director of mental health first aid at the Mental Health Commission of Canada in ot- tawa. More than 100,000 people across Canada have completed the training. "Mental health first aid, the act of mental health first aid, is the assistance to somebody who is experiencing a mental health problem, or who might be in a mental health crisis," she said. "in our course, people learn how to recognize… the common signs and symptoms of common mental health problems, like de- pression, for example, or anxiety, substance use issues, those sorts of things. and they also learn how to intervene in the event of a crisis, so that could be some- thing like a suicide attempt, an overdose, a panic attack, a psy- chotic episode." some of the courses also edu- cate on issues like deliberate self-harm and eating disorders, said reid. Currently, the commission offers three different courses: a two-day basic course, a course for adults who interact with youth, and the new northern Peoples adaptation course. "it's really exploded over the last couple of years — which we're really happy about," she said. "People often ask, 'What can i do?' and this is a pretty simple start — get the language, understand how to help people, and then go from there." Adaptation of training Having an adaptation of the training that was specifically tai- lored toward northern Peoples was really important for the ter- ritories, said sara Chorostkows- ki, manager of mental health and addictions, department of health and social services, government of the northwest territories, in yellowknife. "Basically, we've been offering mental health first aid basic here in the territories for a few years, and it's been quite successful and there's been a lot of uptake," she said. "But, at the same time, we also wanted to have a course that was sort of specifically tailored to the northern context, because obviously life in the north is quite different from other parts of the country." the adapted program was three years in the making, achieved in partnership with the Mental Health Commission and Canada's three territories. "it was a pan-territorial proj- ect," said Chorostkowski. "We also had an advisory group of community-based experts from all three territories who also guided the actual adaptation to the curriculum." adapting the basic mental health first aid course gener- ally takes three to four years, said reid, because of the evidence- based approach, extensive consultation with experts and stakeholders, and the necessity of ensuring the adapted course is safe. the northern adaptation is different in that it addresses very particular aspects of life in the north, said Chorostkowski. "it includes things like season- al affective disorder and the im- pacts of isolation. it also speaks to the limited number of health- care professionals that we might have here, the high cost of medi- cal travel… the fact that services are not necessarily available in every single community." the course also addresses support systems that are specific to the north, said reid. "that could be land-based healing centres, for example, or community centres. We also look a bit at aboriginal well- being and holistic approaches to health." the training is also a celebra- tion of northern culture, said reid. "it really celebrates the unique- ness of northern life... there's a lot of richness there. so through- out the curriculum, we've put a lot of photography and artwork and stories that were written or produced by people in the north, so that people could re- ally see their own mental health experiences reflected in the cur- riculum," said reid. "We've really tried to have it so that people in the north really see themselves in the product." now that the course is com- plete, the territories have com- mitted to roll it out as part of their mental health plans, said Chorostkowski. "We have a commitment to offer mental health first aid across the territory in all regions, so at least two courses a year per region," she said. "the depart- ment will ensure that instructor training is offered, so that every regional health and social ser- vice authority has people who are trained instructors on men- tal health first aid northern, and that those health authorities will then roll it out free of charge to DECREASING > pg. 8 Credit: Christian Lagerek/Shutterstock

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