The Why behind our Mental Health First Aid courses
We know that counselling plays an important role in supporting an individual’s mental health journey, but we also know that it is not - it cannot be - the only support.
When we started Sound Youth Counselling, we had this perspective in mind - to support people when they need it AND to proactively build community support. We believe in our ability to make systemic changes and challenge the way traditional services are provided. We believe that by empowering people with mental health knowledge and confidence, we can improve everyone’s well-being.
Since we started offering Mental Health First Aid courses through Opening Minds (the Mental Health Commission of Canada), we have trained almost 200 adults in the Muskoka-Parry Sound community!
We offer three courses:
Adults who Interact with Youth
Supporting Youth
Mental Health First Aid Certification
And here’s why we love them:
They helps us to start tough conversations and feel confident talking about mental health. So often we shy away from asking the hard questions because we worry we will say the wrong thing or make the situation worse.
With knowledge comes understanding. Deliberate self-injury, thoughts of suicide, depression, anxiety… these can feel like very uncomfortable and scary topics, but when we talk about them, and learn more about them, we can feel capable of talking to someone else about them.
It looks great on a resume as professional development. These trainings (like the 3-year certification) are gaining significant traction across agencies and organizations looking to show their commitment to the mental health of their team.
If you’re interested in joining a public course or organizing a private training for your organization or team, let us know!