A076 Strengthening of Churchwide Training in Mental Health First Aid
Resolved, the House of ________________ concurring,
That the 81st General Convention of the Episcopal Church authorize and fund the training of additional Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) instructors in the Episcopal Church to provide local, diocesan, and provincial trainings in both Adult, Youth, and Teen-2-Teen Mental Health First Aid, to expand the existing MHFA trainer pool and thus increase access to training for clergy and lay leaders across all Provinces of the Episcopal Church, with training to be completed by May 2027, so that they will become available as resource trainers for the dioceses in each Province; and be it further
Resolved, That the 81st General Convention request that the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance allocate $102,000 from the Episcopal Church triennium budget appropriation for the funding of this work; and be it further
Resolved, That the 81st General Convention recommend the exploration of MHFA International resources with the intent to expand MFHA training into non-English-speaking countries to provide trainer coverage as needed for all Provinces; and be it further
Resolved, That the 81st General Convention authorize and fund the deployment of MHFA instructors, including basic travel-related support, across the next three trienniums to train all active priests and deacons by 2033 for an estimated cost of $159,000; and be it further
Resolved, That the 81st General Convention request that the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance allocate $53,000 for that work in this triennium; and be it further
Resolved, That $10,800 be allocated for the generation of printed instructional resources for the diocesan MHFA trainings.
Explanation
Building on the work of the prior Task Force on Individuals with Mental Illness, we continued the focus on the provision of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), which provides consistent training with resources that are easily adopted on a large scale. MHFA training helps people develop the skills to assist individuals experiencing mental health crises and link them to appropriate professionals and supportive networks. The training helps clergy and lay leaders to understand some of the experiences of those with mental illness and helps to destigmatize the realities living with of mental illness.
Recognizing the importance of training in MHFA, in 2022, the 80th General Convention passed resolution 2022-A108, which called for the authorization and funding for at least 15 regional trainers. The work of the Task Force on Individuals with Mental Illness in this most recent triennium resulted in the training of 11 Adult MHFA instructors covering 8 provinces. While this was an excellent move forward, additional trainers are required to provide more thorough provincial coverage, as well as to offer instruction in Youth and Teen-2-Teen MHFA.
This resolution calls for the training of additional Mental Health First Aid instructors in the Episcopal Church to provide local, diocesan, and provincial trainings in Adult, Youth, and Teen-2-Teen Mental Health First Aid, and for funding to support their training and provide basic travel-related support for all instructors' deployment.
The funding request for additional trainers will cover 14-16 instructors in each of Adult, Youth, and Teen-2-Teen MHFA, at a cost of $34,000 for each track (including travel) or $102,000 in total. This will yield a total of 53-59 instructors trained specifically for instruction in the Episcopal Church, to be joined by other Episcopal MHFA instructors already trained and active, who together will offer MHFA certification trainings across the church. Per year, their trainings will yield 2500-3500 Episcopalians certified in MHFA; per triennium, 7500-10,500 certified Episcopalians; and by the end of three trienniums, up to 31,500 certified Episcopalians.
The funding of travel-related expenses in deployment of MHFA instructors for active clergy and postulant training and other diocesan or ministry setting trainings will significantly reduce the cost per trainee for each certification course. The deployment of MHFA instructors over the next three trienniums includes roughly 213 trainings for the approximately 4,000 priests and 2,400 deacons, as well as all active bishops, comprising all active clergy by 2033. More trainings offered by instructors will equip lay members with the same fundamental knowledge and skills. The funding request for this deployment is $53,000 per triennium, or $159,000 in total.
Modest funding is also requested to support and reimburse instructors for production of supplementary printed materials to aid in the training being offered.
The link for Mental Health First Aid is: https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/
Support Documents:
Subcomité de Capacitación en Primeros Auxilios para la Salud Mental