By NATE KING
Salina Post
In this episode of King in the Community, I spoke with Esther Kency, Director of Crisis Services at Central Kansas Mental Health Center (CKMHC), and Megan Willis, mental health first aid youth coordinator for CKMHC.
Our discussion centered around the importance of being aware of mental health issues and ways the Salina community can raise awareness about suicide prevention. Kency and Willis provided valuable insights into upcoming Mental Health First Aid trainings that empower individuals to respond effectively to someone experiencing a mental health crisis.
Suicide is a heavy topic that most people do their best to avoid. However, research shows that people who are having thoughts of suicide feel relief when someone asks after them in a caring way.
"It's a hard topic for a lot of people to talk about, because for so many years it was against the law to commit suicide," Willis said. "It's against a lot of people's culture and their religion."
When it comes to discussing suicide, Willis said that changing our language is a significant part of changing our attitudes toward mental health.
" The word 'committing', When we are saying that someone might be 'committing suicide', we are attaching an even bigger stigma because we say that people commit fraud, commit abuse, commit robbery, larceny, all of those things are being committed, and there is a very negative perspective on those things. Our big goal is to reduce the stigma and get more people talking about it."
Kency stressed the significance of CKMHC's collaborative efforts and partnerships with law enforcement and rural communities.
"We are fortunate we have a great working relationship with our local law enforcement and they have been amazing to work with and we actually have an opening for another co-responder position that we are trying to hire for just to branch out that program," Kency said. "We also have a mobile crisis program that we are working on, where instead of everyone having to come to us when they're in crisis, we are able to go out with a clinician and a case manager."
The upcoming Mental Health First Aid training will equip participants with essential skills to respond to individuals in a mental health crisis. The Mental Health First Aid training is an eight-hour session covering topics such as risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns, strategies for assisting individuals in crisis and non-crisis situations, and guidance on where to seek help.
"You are valued, you are important. Your life means so much, and you are loved," Willis said. "You are loved by people who probably don't even know you, and reach out to somebody, talk to someone, give somebody else the chance to be there for you."
Our conversation covers misconceptions and stigmas surrounding suicide and mental health. Kency and Willis also share their experiences and insights on effectively supporting individuals struggling with mental health issues and how to foster effective communication with them.