Season 1, Episode 15

Mental Health First Aid: A Bridge to Care, Comfort and Treatment

Jun 9, 2023

Over our lifetime many of us will experience a mental health challenge. These conditions are common and can be serious. Understanding these conditions can help us prevent, treat, manage and recover from them.

Connection, care and concern are powerful tools in helping people overcome a mental health challenge. When we let people know they matter, we offer them hope and assistance with finding resources to support their mental health. Every one of us can be a resource. Helping someone doesn’t always mean referring them to a clinician. Mental Health First Aid is a skills-based training course that teaches people to identify, understand and respond to mental health and substance use challenges for youth, adolescents and adults.

Explore more on the topics and themes discussed in this episode:

9-8-8 – National Suicide Prevention Lifeline that answers calls 24/7 and routes them to a local provider.

NH Rapid Response Access Point (NHRRAP) – Provides individuals in the state of New Hampshire with immediate access 24/7 to mental health and/or substance use crisis support via telephone, text or chat services. Call 1-833-710-6477 or email NH988.com to reach someone in NH.

UNH Extension – Offers training opportunities in youth, teen and adult mental health first aid.

NAMI NH – A grassroots organization working to improve the quality of life for all by providing support, education and advocacy for people affected by mental illness and suicide.

Community Partners – A community mental health center for Strafford County.

Dover Mental Health Alliance (DMHA) – A grass-roots, community-driven lead organization dedicated to reducing stigma and increasing awareness about mental health.

NH Community Behavioral Health Association – Visit this site to find a community mental health center near you.

Host & Guests

Featured Guest:

Suzanne Weete

Host: Christin D’Ovidio

Transcript

Episode Transcript (PDF)

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Suzanne Weete has worked in the non-profit sector in Strafford County for the past 20 years, dedicating herself to the health and wellness of the community. Currently, she is the Community Education and Engagement Manager with Community Partners where she works to bring mental health education, stigma elimination and suicide prevention to the Dover community and surrounding towns. She is a founding member and steering committee member of the Dover Mental Health Alliance (DMHA) composed of community stakeholders who are dedicated to creating a culture that understands, embraces and addresses the complexities of mental health.

Her work includes engaging civic, business and faith leaders, first responders/police/fire, community members, schools, parents and youth to become more informed about the importance of mental health among all community members and to normalize the conversation about mental health, mental illness and suicide prevention.

Ms. Weete is an authorized trainer for Adult, Youth and Teen Mental Health First Aid through UNH Extention and NAMI NH Connect Suicide Prevention.
Suzanne lives in Dover, NH and is raising three boys and a dog, with her husband Seth.

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