Goa Khabar : Goa College of Home Science in collaboration with the Aditya Birla Education Trust, under their initiative of Mpower Mental Health Clubs in Colleges, organized the Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) Training Program for the 25 student members of the college club called the COPE (Counselling and Outreach for Peer Empowerment) Community from the 1st to 3rd July.
The training was conducted by Ms. Mugdha Mhatre from Mumbai and Ms. Saleema Moinuddin from Goa, Executives – Outreach and Content, Mpower – Mumbai.
On the first day the trainers took a baseline survey of the participants and introduced the concept of Mental Health First Aid and ALGEE, an acronym that stands for Approach/ Assess/Assist, Listen, Give support, Encourage Professional help and Encourage other supports as the DNA for YMHFA. They then covered the topic of Depression, Suicide and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury and how to give Mental Health First Aid in that situation.
On the second day they covered Anxiety, Trauma, Eating Disorders and how to apply ALGEE with those suffering from it.
The third day was spent discussing Psychosis and Substance Use and how to help those with these conditions.
The participants then answered the endline form and were explained about how to get accreditation as Youth Mental Health First Aiders.
The sessions were interactive and activities were used as analogies to help the students understand the different mental health issues. Videos were shown and cases were discussed to equip students with the skills needed to deal with real life situations.
On attaining a successful score in the online assessment, students will receive a certificate in the Australian Accredited Youth Mental Health First Aid thereby enabling them to reach out to their peers as a first contact point in seeking Mental Health support.
The event was coordinated by Assistant Professor (Human Development) Dr. Nadisha Coelho and the COPE Community Student Lead of the College, Ms. Umaiza Khan and the Co-Lead, Ms. Tanveer Fathima.
