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Prepping for mental health crisis (Part 4): The first responder

By The SHTF App Team

Most of us know basic CPR for a physical heart attack, but we freeze when a friend faces a mental emotional collapse.

Good intentions are not enough. Trying to help without skills can lead to saying the wrong thing, missing critical red flags for self-harm, or burning yourself out completely. When you build a “Deployment Kit” and learn the protocol, you stop panicking and start operating. You become the stable lighthouse in their storm, capable of guiding them to safety without drowning alongside them.

The Readiness Audit

Are you ready to answer the call?

  • 🟢 Green: You are trained in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), you have boundaries set, and you have a list of resources for your out-of-town friends.
  • 🟡 Yellow: You are a great listener, but you wouldn’t know who to call if a friend in London or New York called you in crisis.
  • 🔴 Red: You tend to take on everyone’s problems as your own and burn out, or you avoid these conversations entirely because they scare you.

If you are Yellow or Red, execute Phase 1.

Phase 1: The Training (Mental Health First Aid)

Goal: Acquire the specific skills to identify and respond to a crisis.

Just as you learn first aid for physical wounds, you must learn it for the mind.

1. Get Certified (MHFA)

  • The Standard: Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is the international gold standard. It teaches you to identify signs of illness and substance use disorders.
  • The Benefit: It gives you a clear action plan, dispels myths, and builds confidence.
  • Action: Search “Mental Health First Aid course [Your City]” today.

2. The 5-Step Action Plan

MHFA teaches a specific protocol (often called ALGEE) so you don’t freeze:

  1. Assess for risk of suicide or harm.
  2. Listen non-judgmentally.
  3. Give reassurance and information.
  4. Encourage appropriate professional help.
  5. Encourage self-help strategies.

Phase 2: The “Deployment Kit” (Logistics for Others)

Goal: Have the intel ready before the phone rings.

When a friend calls in distress, you don’t want to be frantically Googling. Prepare a “Deployment Kit” for your closest people, especially those who live far away.

The Protocol

Take 10 minutes for each key friend living in a different city/country. Create a note in your phone with:

  • Their Local Crisis Line: (e.g., If they are in London, find the number for “Samaritans” or NHS services).
  • Their Local Directory: A link to a therapist finder for their specific zip code/region.
  • Their “Home Base”: The number for their local 24/7 emergency room or public health clinic.

Why: You can now provide actionable, location-specific help instantly.

Phase 3: The Rules of Engagement (Boundaries)

Goal: Protect the rescuer.

You cannot pour from an empty cup. Helping others is emotionally taxing, and you need armor.

1. Set Your Limits

You are a bridge to help, not the hospital. Be prepared to say:

  • “I really want to support you, but I don’t have the emotional capacity to talk about this in depth right now. Can we check in tomorrow?”
  • “I’m not equipped to fix this, but I will sit with you while we call a professional together.”

2. The Debrief

  • The Rule: After you support someone through a crisis, you need support.
  • Action: Identify your own confidant. Process the event so you don’t carry the trauma with you.

The “Essential Kit” Checklist

  • The Training: Research MHFA courses in your area and enroll in one.
  • The Deployment Kit: Create a note for at least one out-of-town friend with their local crisis resources.
  • The Boundary Statement: Write out your personal boundary statement so you have the words ready when you need them.
  • Your Confidant: Identify who you will debrief with after supporting someone else.

The Scenario Planner (Contingencies)

Murphy’s Law Variation 1: “I froze and didn’t know what to say.”

  • The Trap: Fear of saying the wrong thing.
  • The Fix: Fall back on the Framework. If you forget everything else, just do Step 2: Listen without judgment. You don’t need to have the answers; you just need to be a witness to their pain.

Murphy’s Law Variation 2: “My friend refuses help.”

  • The Trap: Trying to force a solution.
  • The Fix: Patience and Persistence. Unless they are an immediate danger to themselves (which requires emergency services), you cannot force them. Reiterate your support, provide the resources from your Deployment Kit, and wait.