Cayman to receive mental health first aid training

Plans are under way to create a new locally based mental health first aid training programme through the Addison Kelly Mental Health Education Fund.

The fund, led by founder Rhonda Kelly, has received formal approval to become a licensed mental health first aid provider through the Australian organisation Mental Health First Aid International.

Kelly says the fund,  which is in partnership with the Alex Panton Foundation, received authorisation for the internationally recognised programme last month and is working to launch it locally as part of its ongoing mental health awareness advocacy.

“Through this effort, the island will soon become the first Caribbean nation to offer mental health first aid training that will feature locally created content and be able to train trainers on island. This is something that is vital to ensure widespread awareness and understanding,” Kelly told the Cayman Compass on Friday.

Handling a mental health crisis

The death of Kelly’s daughter Addison, 16, whose life was lost through suicide in 2022, has been the catalyst behind the effort and the annual Addison Kelly Butterfly 5K walk.

“ I found out that mental health first aid was something that was not easily done here. There are not a lot of trainers locally, there’s no local aspect to the … training. I did the MHFA course; it’s a fantastic course. It’s a two-day course where you learn how to deal with someone who’s in a mental health crisis,” Kelly explained.

She said the course trains individuals how to deal with someone who is going through a mental health crisis.

“ You’re not going to be their caregiver. You’re going to help them get to a caregiver … Just a way to talk to someone who might be having suicidal thoughts or just really struggling with their mental health, and opening that conversation, and saying the right thing to them and knowing what not to say to them because I think that’s the scary thing – you don’t know what to say,” she said.

Kelly said mental health first aid training is as imperative as learning CPR for when someone is having a heart attack.

“It’s just vital in our community for teachers that are dealing with young people every day, church youth workers, first aid responders. Everybody should have this basic training to help them get somebody to that next step. So we’re super excited [to bring this training],” she added.

Keeping memories alive

Kelly said the third annual 5K walk in her daughter’s name has already garnered hundreds of registrations for the 1 Feb. event at Camana Bay.

This year, she said, apart from raising funds for a scholarship in the mental health field, the event will also feature a special memorial wall for those lost to suicide in the community.

She said she wanted to use the wall as a way to show families that they are not alone in their grief.

“ I think a lot of families in the community, I think more than any of us realise, have been affected by suicide … I wanted to do something to honour others and to have their names shared and to have them remembered as well,” she said.

Caymanian artist Kara Julian has joined the initiative, creating hand-painted tiles for the memorial wall, which is being built by Arch and Godfrey.

Julian said she was happy to join from the outset.

“ I think it’s a great initiative because of the families that it’s helping. [I’m] utilising my creative skills towards this to highlight these individuals so that they’re not forgotten, so that mental health and suicide is brought to the forefront of our minds. If my small contribution … helps to push it forward, then yes, I’m on board,” Julian said.

Kelly said she also wants the wall to send the message to the community that talking about suicide should not be taboo and losing someone to suicide is not something to be “ashamed of”.

“We should be able to talk about these things, just as how we can easily discuss that somebody passed away due to cancer, or due to heart disease. This is mental health and until we open up the dialogue and start talking about it more, it will remain in the shadows, and a secret and a shame point,” Kelly said.

The wall, she said, will be installed on 24 Jan. and will remain in Camana Bay until after the walk, after which the tiles will be given to the families.