Fairfax Co. employees get mental health first aid training "We are the first line of defense in contact for individuals that walk into our office, sometimes in crisis but other times just needing general assistance to get them through an immediate situation," said Martin Taylor, 42, a staff member in the Hunter Mill District Office. So I think this class enables us to make better decisions that I think are good for the constituent as well as good for the county. From learning the physical symptoms of an anxiety disorder to listening to simulated auditory hallucinations similar to those heard by people with schizophrenia, the mental health first aid program is 12 hours of lectures, discussions and role playing. In one particularly intense exercise, a participant tries to hold a conversation with someone while another person, working from a script, whispers a consistent stream of negativity into their ear, simulating schizophrenia. "You are a failure," "You are nothing," and "You can't trust him. You can't trust anyone. The purpose of the course is not to teach how to diagnose or treat mental illness, but how to recognize signs and symptoms and find appropriate help, instructor Samar Helmstutler said. In Fairfax, the classes, open to the general public, are booked through June, and in a sign of the growing national interest in such programs, President Obama's gun safety proposals introduced last month include financing for mental health first aid for teachers. The most recent Fairfax class, held last Wednesday and Thursday, was requested by Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova (D) and was attended by staffers from the offices of Bulova and the other supervisors. "People with mental health problems will often find their way into our office, and for the most part we're not professionals, so we're not professionally trained to deal with mental illness," Bulova said. So a little bit of first aid and a little bit of knowledge as to what mental illnesses are and what are the best ways to handle and approach someone I think is very valuable to all of us. Jamie MacDonald, one of the instructors, said the board began looking into the first-aid program several years ago, and the 2011 shooting of former Arizona congresswoman Gabby Giffords (D) in Tucson gave the idea more urgency. MacDonald said the high-profile shootings at Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut and the ensuing public discussions about mental health care have increased interest in the course. "In spite of the fact that it really came about from a real tragedy in Sandy Hook, it's a needed - this information is needed regardless of that," he said. People just don't have a clear understanding and also how to help.