Many people think of chronic conditions as being entirely physical. However, we have learned over time that there is often a significant mental component that can manifest itself as anxiety, depression or in several other ways. This effect has been exacerbated by the impact of the COVID pandemic, including families forced to stay at home, missed school and work, economic hardship and many others. When these issues are present, they can in turn worsen physical health, creating a vicious cycle.

That’s why The Coalition for Hemophilia B has been placing increased emphasis on educating our members about recognizing and effectively addressing mental health issues within our community. Our most recent efforts have included a series of half–day training= sessions in mental health first aid. These latest trainings were held on January 29th (sponsored by Sanofi), February 26th (sponsored by Novo Nordisk), March 12th (sponsored by Medexus) and March 26th (sponsored by Takeda).

We all know that in general, first aid is about having the basic knowledge to help someone in distress when we encounter them and to get them to the next level of medical attention. However, there is also something called mental health first aid where individuals are given the basic knowledge to help someone in mental distress when we encounter them and get them to the appropriate professionals who can help address their situation. Our trainings were created by Debbie de la Riva LPC, founder of Mental Health Matters Too.

Debbie has a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Houston and she became a licensed professional counselor in 1989. Her work experiences have included serving as a stress management therapist in a psychiatric hospital and managing a mental health resource department. When her son was born with hemophilia in 1994, the entire de la Riva family became involved in the bleeding disorders community at both the local and national levels.

Debbie has since become a major force in elevating the attention given to mental health issues in the bleeding disorders community, including many collaborations with The Coalition for Hemophilia B.

Training participants were given study materials and advance “homework” prior to their session. The agendas were then divided into interactive designed to help them understand how to identify potential mental health issues in family members, friends, community members, co–workers and others. Once a potential issue is identified, the goal is to provide the individual with referrals to professionals and other resources that can help them effectively address their problem. The goal is not to “fix” the problem as this does not fall within the scope of mental health first aid. Each training concludes with a test designed to assess what the individual has learned. Those who achieve a high enough level of knowledge, understanding and skills then receive certification as a mental health first aid provider.

Because of these sessions and others that went before them, the hemophilia B community now has a growing team of trained mental health first aid providers who can make a real impact on how we address mental health issues. If you are interested in joining a future training, please contact the Coalition and we will let you know when new trainings have been scheduled. Thank you to all the listed sponsors for making this vital program possible.