Developed by clinical counsellors and wilderness professionals, Mental Health Wilderness First Aid is an interactive, evidence-based program that provides students with a toolkit of basic mental health support skills, especially oriented to those in small communities, wilderness, or remote areas. Depending on the course, topics include anxiety, panic, depression, grief, trauma, psychosis, self-injury, suicidal ideation, and resilience.
Mental Health Wilderness First Aid started with Daye Hagel's Masters thesis at the University of Victoria in 2018. Having worked in the outdoor guiding industry for 15 years, Daye had noticed that while first aid courses tended to focus only on physical health problems, in practice mental health issues came up just as frequently in the field. This became her inspiration to create a wilderness first aid program that focused on providing mental health skills to other wilderness guides.
The first class was a 3-hour presentation on strategies for helping support clients with anxiety in the field. Following the reception that this training was desperately needed in the industry, the program has since grown exponentially. We now work with clients and organizations from half a dozen countries and offer custom programming to wilderness guides, silviculture and other remote area industries, First Nations, Search and Rescue, armed forces members, teachers, postsecondary institutions, and outdoor educators.
Open courses are being offered both online and in-person, for anyone to join. Custom courses for organizations are also available.
Community members, wilderness guides, teachers, parents, and others who live, work, or play in small communities or remote areas will benefit from MHWFA skills.
Mental Health Wilderness First Aid started with Daye Hagel's Masters thesis at the University of Victoria in 2018. Having worked in the outdoor guiding industry for 15 years, Daye had noticed that while first aid courses tended to focus only on physical health problems, in practice mental health issues came up just as frequently in the field. This became her inspiration to create a wilderness first aid program that focused on providing mental health skills to other wilderness guides.
The first class was a 3-hour presentation on strategies for helping support clients with anxiety in the field. Following the reception that this training was desperately needed in the industry, the program has since grown exponentially. We now work with clients and organizations from half a dozen countries and offer custom programming to wilderness guides, silviculture and other remote area industries, First Nations, Search and Rescue, armed forces members, teachers, postsecondary institutions, and outdoor educators.
Open courses are being offered both online and in-person, for anyone to join. Custom courses for organizations are also available.
Community members, wilderness guides, teachers, parents, and others who live, work, or play in small communities or remote areas will benefit from MHWFA skills.
Outside magazine - article on us!
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Daye and the MHWFA program were featured in the November 2020 issue of Outside Magazine! The article illustrates the importance of preparing for psychological incidents in wilderness areas, and notes that we are now offering MHWFA classes online.
Read the article here. |
We've written a book
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Mental Health Wilderness First Aid is undergoing a major program expansion - and we've written a book! The MHWFA course manual includes an orientation to mental health for remote area communities and backcountry travellers, as well as field assessment and treatment for anxiety, depression, panic attacks, grief, trauma, psychosis, self-injury, suicidal ideation and other conditions.
Updated version 2.5 available March 2025!
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