Community Education

Mental Health First Aid

MHFA Basic
MHFA Basic is intended for adults interacting with adults (18 years and older). This course focuses on the four most common mental health disorders including substance related, mood related, anxiety and trauma related, and psychotic disorders. Participants who take this course are well prepared to interact confidently about mental health with their family, friends, communities, and workplaces.

MHFA Standard (Virtual)
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is the support provided to a person who may be experiencing a decline in their mental well-being or a mental health crisis. The Mental Health Commission of Canada reports that one in every five Canadians experiences a mental health problem within a given year. While we often know a lot about physical illness, there tends to be less knowledge about mental health or substance use problems. This lack of understanding leads to fear and negative attitudes towards individuals living with these problems. It prevents people from seeking help for themselves and from providing appropriate support to people around them.
Public and private groups available.

MHFA Standard (Face-To-Face)

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is the support provided to a person who may be experiencing a decline in their mental well-being or a mental health crisis. The Mental Health Commission of Canada reports that one in every five Canadians experiences a mental health problem within a given year. While we often know a lot about physical illness, there tends to be less knowledge about mental health or substance use problems. This lack of understanding leads to fear and negative attitudes towards individuals living with these problems. It prevents people from seeking help for themselves and from providing appropriate support to people around them.

Next Mental Health First Aid courses available:

In Person
Register and purchase your spot: December 6, 2023 (In Person) Cancelled
Register and purchase your spot: January 25, 2024 (In Person)
Register and purchase your spot: February 22, 2024 (In Person)
Register and purchase your spot: March 27, 2024 (In Person)

Cost $250.00 + GST per participant.

Responding with Respect on the Frontline
In this training, the Responding with Respect 4R Model © is applied to the customer/client
relationship.

Participants will:

• Discover how to create a safe space
• Review common mental illnesses
• Develop Respectful Responding skills
• Challenge myths and stigma
• Apply new knowledge to custom case studies
• Learn the Mental Health Continuum
• Explore self-awareness
  Length: 4 hour workshop
  Maximum number of participants: 15 virtually – 24 in-person
  Cost: $2100 + GST

Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® Third Edition
Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® (NCI^TM) provides your staff with the skills to safely recognize and respond to everyday crisis situations that may involve more challenging behaviors. NCI^TM training is designed to help you achieve compliance with current legislative initiatives and best practices.

Program Features & Benefits:

• Safety interventions and disengagement techniques for escalating risk behaviors
• Limit-setting strategies when verbally intervening to de-escalate defensive behaviors
• Recognize opportunities for post-crisis learning
• The effects of trauma and the psychology of the brain on the person in crisis as well
  as the responding individual
• Person-centered to help ensure a consistently inclusive and culturally sensitive
  approach to a person displaying crisis behavior
  Length: 2 days
  Maximum number of participants: 20 in-person
  Cost: $250/seat + GST

Verbal Intervention® Third Edition
Verbal Intervention (VI^TM) is ideal for organizations with a hands-off policy, and staff who
don’t experience the kind of higher risk situations that require physical interventions. VI
instills the confidence and skills to verbally de-escalate disruptive behaviours and prevent
further escalation.

Program Features & Benefits:

• Recognize and respond to defensive behaviours
• Understand what’s behind the behaviour
• Address the needs of the individuals
• Establish common de-scalation training communication framework
• Proactive verbal de-escalation strategies
  Length: 1 day
  Maximum number of participants: 25 in-person
  Cost: $250/seat + GST

Workplace Boundaries
Front-line staff have a collaborative and comprehensive conversation about workplace
boundaries and their importance. This workshop can be delivered in-person or virtually.
This training is ideal for groups working within the same organization.

Participants will:

• Learn the difference between your “job” and your “role” in the workplace
• Discuss the definition of boundaries, policies and procedures, and expectations in
  your workplace
• Identify common workplace boundaries such as sharing personal information, gift
  giving/receiving including things like cigarettes, social media, and providing
  additional services such as rides
• Explore scenarios that may fall outside of your workplace boundaries, job and role
• Comprehensively discuss the outcomes of crossing workplace boundaries
• Create a common language between employees, and open an ongoing conversation
  about boundaries
• Create consistency and continuity between employees, strengthening a team and
  improving relationships
  Length: 2 hour workshop
  Maximum number of participants: 15 in-person/virtual
  Cost: $1000 + GST

To register for the workshops provided by CMHA Kamloops, please call 250 374 0440 ext. 203

Cancellation Policy

Registrations are non-refundable.

CMHA, Kamloops reserves the right to cancel or postpone workshops due to under-enrollment, instructor illness, inclement weather or unforeseen circumstances.  If a course is cancelled, you may transfer to another course at no additional cost or receive a full refund. This is the only circumstance under which CMHA Kamloops Branch will issue a refund.

If your plans change after you have registered you may designate a substitute to attend in your place, at no extra cost. Please notify us of the name of the person attending as soon as possible prior to the course date for which you registered. This will allow us to correct our records and minimize confusion at check-in.

Effective: January 1, 2022

More Information: www.mhfa.ca

Education and Training

Karina Laitres is a Registered Psychiatric Nurse and CMHA Kamloops’ Community Educator. Karina creates and facilitates mental health workshops and training courses for CMHA employees, community members, businesses, and organizations locally, nationally and internationally. She supports the community of Kamloops through her dedication to advocacy and continued drive to educate and empower others.  Karina has experience working in a wide variety of areas and populations within the field of mental health and addictions. She has lead projects assisting organizations with needs assessments and comprehensive planning to fill in gaps in service, guided by research and best practice principals. Most recently, Karina completed a project with the Edmonton Police Service and an extensive homelessness stigma reduction project in the city of Kamloops, BC. Additionally, Karina facilitates workshops for Nurse Practitioners through the Nurse and Nurse Practitioners of British Columbia’s Mobile Skills Program. Karina is very passionate about mental health, addictions, vulnerable populations, our community, and the power of education.
Karina.laitres@cmha.bc.ca

Christa Haywood-Farmer has delivered trainings, workshops and education to Kamloops and region for over 15 years.  Within that time, she has had opportunities to develop programming, to teach and train staff, volunteers and communities, and to build relationships and trust with those accessing service.  Her focus throughout her career has been mental health which includes promoting awareness in the hopes of decreasing stigma.  In 2009, Christa received certification to deliver Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and has provided courses to university staff and faculty, RCMP members, fire fighters, city workers, family members, paramedics and numerous students and volunteers.  As a MHFA instructor, she brings an empathetic approach that she gained while working directly with individuals experiencing mental health issues.  She highlights the need to respond authentically, respectfully and with kindness.  She equips herself with strong awareness and connection to applicable community resources to help participants feel confident within their learning.
Christa.haywoodfarmer@cmha.bc.ca