Mental First Aid Training & Awareness

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Sunday, May 10th is Mother’s Day. You might wonder why I’m mentioning both in the same post, but there’s an important connection. For many, Mother’s Day brings a mix of emotions. Not everyone looks forward to it—family relationships can be complicated. A mother may be deceased, absent, abusive, or the relationship strained. The person someone considers “mom” might not be biological. There are also birthing parents who haven’t carried a pregnancy to term, experienced complications during delivery, or faced medical challenges that prevented a fetus from developing or surviving. They are still mothers. Society often upholds an idealized image of motherhood, which can unintentionally harm others, adding to feelings of isolation, trauma, or depression—sometimes even indicating symptoms of a mental health struggle. Mental Health First Aid training can be a bridge to connect those showing signs of a mental health episode with the right level of care.

I recently spoke with Rev. LaTonja Ellis, a pastor in Chicago’s Bronzeville community and a trained Mental Health First Aid trainer and facilitator. This training can be a powerful intervention in communities where resources are limited and awareness of mental health signs is lacking. We also discuss how this training can be a helpful resource within ecclesiastical settings and marginalized communities.

You can watch our conversation now on our new YouTube channel with the latest episode of *The Tinderbox Podcast*. https://www.youtube.com/@thetinderboxpodcast