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Mainstreaming Mental Health First Aid
In the Philippines, where mental health care is often considered a luxury, Gabriel Lizada is committed to prove that taking care of one’s mental health is everyone’s business. “Our concept of health has been very limited compared to physical health. But really, it is more than that,” says Gabriel.
Gabriel’s advocacy for mental health care was strengthened while pursuing Master of Counselling from Monash University as an Australia Awards scholar. “I saw how mental health was advocated in Australia, and it was something that I would like to emulate. I took a course on Mental Health First Aid, and learned that mental health first aid can be given by anyone.”
Inspired by his Australian education and trainings, Gabriel developed a Crisis Response Orientation Course for Mental Health Awareness as his re-entry action plan (REAP) for Australia Awards Scholarships. The REAP is a unique feature of Australia Awards that allows Filipino scholars to give back and apply their Australian education to meaningful development programs in the Philippines.
In collaboration with the Center of Psychological Extension and Research Services (COPERS), Gabriel’s REAP capacitated local volunteers on mental health awareness and psychological first aid in his hometown in Davao City. According to Gabriel, if someone in the area knows how to talk to a person who is experiencing mental health problems, there can be early prevention.
His knowledge, training, and experience with his REAP, inspired Gabriel to help Filipinos cope with mental health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic – an unprecedented crisis that has caused different mental and psychological imbalances to people’s daily lives.
Barangay Workers as Mental Health First Aiders
With the support of the Australian Alumni COVID-19 Response Grants Scheme, Gabriel replicated and expanded his Australia Awards REAP and developed an online training on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) for selected barangay workers in Davao City who serve as first responders during crisis situations. The training, composed of 8 modules, covered topics ranging from stress and stress management, anxiety management during widespread health emergencies, psychological first aid, understanding well-being and taking care of the self. It also gave a special focus on women and children.
Gabriel’s project trained over 100 barangay health workers and volunteerswith knowledge and technical expertise to handle mental health concerns of affected families during the pandemic. “There used to be a notion that mental health is a luxury or is just for upper income people, but in reality, our project shows mental health is for everyone,” says Gabriel.
Three pilot barangays adopted the project, but around 12 barangays participated in it. The modules were turned over to the barangay, so they can echo the training and cascade the learnings. In the future, Gabriel and his team hope to translate the modules to different dialects across the Philippines so that more people will benefit from it.
The barangay health workers and volunteers who completed the course received a certificate from the Center of Psychological Extension and Research Services (COPERS), a Department of Health-accredited organisation which provides psychological support in Mindanao. Gabriel is also collaborating with the Davao City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council in recognising the training participants as persons who are skilled in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS).
Aside from the online training, the project also developed a website called "Disaster Preparedness Through Mental First Aid Training" to provide accessible resources for Barangay Health Workers and front liners, which serves as a valuable tool in response efforts.
Advocating for well-being
Australia provided Gabriel with the theoretical foundation and off-campus learnings to jumpstart his initiatives and advocacy in the Philippines. “Anyone can have free mental health sessions in Australia. Here, in the Philippines, mental health seems like a luxury. Practically, if you are a minimum wage earner, you cannot afford it. This should be part of the standard insurance coverage.”
Gabriel believes that organisations should hire in-house mental health professionals to check on their staff’s well-being and provide mental health breaks to employees similar to the mandatory vacation and sick leaves.
“There is a Mental Health Law. The mental health needs of workers should be prioritised, too,” he says. According to Gabriel, organisations need to see that productivity is correlated to well-being. Studies show that organisations prioritising the well-being of their employees, also see a boost in their productivity.
“We have a need to be more open especially in the well-being space. It shouldn’t be a shame to need to talk to someone. It should be okay to ask for help.”
Looking forward, Gabriel aims to train more mental health first aiders and see more organisations truly embrace well-being in their culture.
Gabriel Sebastian Lizada is currently a part-time faculty at the Psychology Department of the Ateneo de Davao University where he teaches General Psychology and Experimental Psychology.
