MISSION OF CHANGE
HOW TO HELP
The National Council for Mental Wellbeing offers a five-step action plan for bystanders who need to intervene in case of a mental health or substance abuse challenge. The organization offers free training and certifica- tion in its Mental Health First Aid course, which is a one-day session available in many locations across the country. The five steps in the plan can be implemented in any order, and they are as follows:
A – Approach, assess for risk of suicide or harm. Keep the person’s privacy and confidentiality in mind, but try to find a way to start the conversation. If the person does not wish to talk to you, encourage them to confide in another trusted person.
L – Listen nonjudgmentally. It’s important to let the person share without being interrupted unnecessarily. Try to listen with empathy, even if the person says things with which you do not agree.
G – Give reassurance and information. Be prepared to offer a sense of optimism and some helpful facts after the person shares with you.
E – Encourage appropriate professional help. Offer to help the person find which types of professional help may be available to them. The sooner they can get the appropriate support, the better their chances of a full recovery.
E – Encourage self-help and other support strategies. These are the other resources beyond professional care. Help them think through their own personal support system, try to identify local programs that may be relevant, and talk about creating a self-care plan.
Of course, these steps may not be effective for everyone or every situation. If a person is behaving erratically, or is thinking of self-harm or harm to others, call 911 immediately. To find a Mental Health First Aid course near you, go to
https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/take-a-course.
this will provide more in-depth counseling and opportunities for them to debrief, defuse or whatever the case may be.”
CONCLUSION “Tis was my destiny,” Peyton said of founding the nonprofit. “It all comes back to the men and women I’ve served for 41 years— I’ve seen the damage, the trauma they’ve experienced, and I’ve seen the detrimental impacts on their families, careers and educa- tion. When it happened to me and I felt that trauma, after trying to process and grieve, I was able to see that I could do something about that for first responders.”
Meanwhile, Peyton has continued teaching at the Army Acqui- sition Center of Excellence, and said this experience has changed the way she interacts with her students. “Tere is no fear anymore. I always try to demonstrate in my classes that family is truly first. I like to have a good time, and if you ask anyone I ever taught, they’ll vouch for that,” she chuckled. “I try to bring real life into
118 Army AL&T Magazine Winter 2023
the classroom and I teach with storytelling. Now, especially, I remind my students to look out for each other, and that it’s OK to talk about when you’re not doing well.”
For more information about GRAMI, go to
https://gramius.org or email
Gettingrealaboutmentalillness@gmail.com.
ELLEN SUMMEY provides contract support to the U. S. Army Acquisition Support Center at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, as a communications project manager for SAIC. She holds an M.A. in human relations from the University of Oklahoma and a B.A. in mass communication from Louisiana State University. She has earned the Accreditation in Public Relations and Military Communication, is certified as a Project Management Professional, and has more than 18 years of communication experience in both the government and commercial sectors.
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