Mental Health Wilderness First Aid

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3/31/2020

Video: feelings check-ins with ourselves and family

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Continuation of our short series on basic MHWFA skills - conducting feelings check-ins with our loved ones, especially during quarantine situations.

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3/27/2020

video: Chims the bear and tapping for stress and anxiety

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Chims the bear and his family have to stay in their cave. We share some techniques like tapping from our MHWFA class that can help at times when we feel stressed and anxious.

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3/20/2020

Social vs Physical Distancing Colouring sheet

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I stayed up late because I wanted to get you all this tonight <3 
I read someone on the internet today say that they weren't "social distancing" - they were physically distancing. And that on the contrary it was more important than ever to socially connect, to check in with and support each other.
This really stuck with me, and I drew my ideas around it. For now, you can finish it yourself.  It's a colouring sheet.
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10/19/2019

MHWFA course at Strathcona Park Lodge

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23 students completed the Mental Health Wilderness First Aid course this weekend at Strathcona Park Lodge & Outdoor Education Centre. Fantastic skill sharing on some difficult topics throughout our 2.5 days together and great feedback from students.

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9/21/2019

EFT Tapping

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​"Tapping" (aka Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT) is a simple mental health intervention that combines Western (exposure therapy, cognitive behaviour therapy) and Eastern (acupressure, energy meridians) practices. While repeating a simple statement that both acknowledges the problem and affirms the individual, a series of nine different points on the body are tapped: "karate chop", inner eyebrow, outer eye, under eye, under nose, under mouth, inner collarbone, armpit, top of head.

The evidence base behind tapping is remarkable - clinical studies have supported the use of EFT to significantly reduce distress and "lizard brain symptoms" associated with anxiety, depression, trauma, and emotional overwhelm in clients from college students to military veterans.

Learn how to support a client with tapping and other mental health field strategies at a MHWFA weekend course. First one starts October 4 in Ucluelet!

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9/18/2019

MHWFA pre-trip med form

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Brand new resource posted: the MHWFA pre-trip med form.
Let's encourage each other to start talking about mental health as easily as physical health.

Download a PDF copy free to adapt and integrate for your own organization. 

pre-trip_mhwfa_form.pdf
File Size: 64 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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9/8/2019

Mirror Neurons

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Mirror neurons are brain cells that fire both when an animal does something *and* when they observe another animal doing that same thing. This discovery has awesome implications for how we learn, communicate and empathize. If a client is experiencing anxiety in the wilderness, our own brains are likely to pick up on and begin to "mirror" the anxious feeling. At the same time, if *we* take a deep breath, *their* mirror neurons may fire and help to naturally ground them simply through our own nonanxious presence.

Plus, mirror neurons are super cute, as we demonstrated on this recent trip to the beach!

Learn more at one of our open-enrollment courses this fall:

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8/11/2019

MHWFA field curriculum testing

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MHWFA staff out in the field this weekend, soaking in the nature-based goodness and consulting with more experienced backcountry travellers on curriculum development. Thanks to everyone who participated in the skill building sessions and gave feedback on scenarios.

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4/30/2018

the first ever MHWFA presentation

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Flashback Friday: Daye Cooper presents her Master's research and the first ever course, originally titled "Wilderness First Aid for Anxiety", at the University of Victoria, April 2018!
​
Eight people participated in the course, at a cost of just $5 per person photocopy fee.

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    Author

    Donetta Faye (Daye) Cooper Hagel is a clinical counsellor, veteran wilderness guide, and director of the Mental Health Wilderness First Aid program on the west coast of British Columbia, Canada.  Read more about her and the MHWFA on the About Us page!

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We do not require personal medical information from our students, volunteers,
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  • Home
  • About / Contact
    • About MHWFA
    • Meet the Team
    • Blog
    • Specials >
      • Manual
      • Special Offers
      • SKGABC
      • CO Strong
    • Contact Us
  • MHWFA Courses
    • Open Courses
    • Custom Courses
    • Recertifying
  • Events & Guest Speakers
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
  • Resources
    • Helplines & other trainings
    • Recommended Reading
    • MHWFA Printables
  • Current Students
    • 2023-02 Basic Course
    • 2023-03 Basic Course
    • 2023-03 UPGRADE TO STANDARD
    • 2023-04 Basic Course
    • 2023-04 Outward Bound