Feeling a sense of community is essential for mental wellbeing, but finding and building community isn’t always easy. We sometimes overlook the communities where we live and work as spaces for us to come together and build support systems. But Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Instructor Andrea Sirois is working to build that support system in Oro Valley, Arizona.
As an executive assistant for the Town of Oro Valley, Sirois helps ensure her town runs smoothly. She goes above and beyond in her care for the community, evidenced by the multiple mental health initiatives she leads for local government employees. Since last year, Sirois has helped certify 78 staff members in MHFA. She believes that MHFA training is relevant for all local government employees, regardless of department or job responsibilities.
“One of the things that I love about the trainings is that the class represents different departments,” Sirois said. “So we’ll have engineers who naturally think differently than someone in parks and rec or the finance department. I look at it as an opportunity to connect with peers.”
Many employees have told her that MHFA training helped with both their personal and professional lives. It gives them the confidence to help each other and themselves, from feeling comfortable enough to take a mental health day, to helping a frustrated resident who’s worried about their water bill.
Sirois learned about MHFA after going through a tumultuous time in her own life. In 2019, Sirois had recently graduated with her master’s degree and was starting her dream job, but things just didn’t feel right.
“All of the best things were happening. But I was like, I don’t feel where I should be feeling with all these good things happening,” she said.
She’d eventually be diagnosed with bipolar II disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. After starting new medications, Sirois experienced a manic episode while visiting her family.
“Thank God I was with family,” she said. “They’re very supportive and noticed I did a lot of things out of character that I normally wouldn’t do. They were able to identify it and get me into inpatient care, because I reached psychosis.”
Sirois took two months away from work to be on short-term disability, rest and find the right medicine adjustments. Soon after she came back to work, she heard about MHFA.
“I took my first Adult and Youth Mental Health First Aid courses that year,” Sirois said. “From then on, I always wanted to be an Instructor and was so happy when my employer was on board to pay for my training.”
Sirois became a certified MHFA Instructor in 2023. The Town of Oro Valley not only funded her Instructor certification but now incentivizes its employees to take MHFA as part of its employee wellness initiatives.
“I do feel so beyond fortunate to be a part of an organization that truly values their employees as humans and one that empowers me to lead initiatives with a great amount of self-autonomy,” Sirois shared. “They continue to support me in ways to learn, grow and discover better approaches to serve and expand the program with the goal of reaching more staff, especially during critical times for those individuals.”
In addition to teaching MHFA, Sirois has set up a mental health station with resources for staff, created employee mental health pocket guides, helped supply town buildings with naloxone and ordered suicide awareness resource cards for management to hand out to their staff. She also serves on the board for a bipolar community group, Beautiful Purpose, and was recently certified as a Peer Support Specialist by NAMI and the state of Arizona.
Sirois said she has helped coworkers in crisis who sought her out because they took her MHFA course. They know that reaching out is an important first step, and taking the course gave them the language and confidence to have those conversations and ask for help — especially when someone they know recommends it.
“It may seem so small, but it is so impactful. People are more likely to get help when someone they know recommends it,” she said.
She offered compelling reasons why local governments should offer MHFA training for their employees. First, she said, 1 in 5 people experience mental health challenges, and government employees aren’t immune. Creating a workplace culture of support can reduce burnout and promote productivity. Crucially, MHFA training can make hard conversations a little easier.
“One of the most powerful things for me, personally, is getting comfortable asking ‘Are you thinking of killing yourself?’ or ‘Are you thinking of suicide?” she said. “It feels uncomfortable, but it’s so nice to practice it in a safe space before a crisis happens. Timing is everything — having the right timing to talk to people about mental health, not just in crisis situations.”
The work Sirois does, whether in her nine-to-five job as an executive assistant, or in her mental health training and advocacy, is guided by her sense of purpose:
Building community is essential to Sirois’ professional and personal life, and Oro Valley benefits greatly from her work as a MHFA Instructor.
“We’re all public servants,” she said.
Interested in taking a Mental Health First Aid course? Click here to find trainings near you. Want to bring MHFA to your community? Learn more about becoming an Instructor here.
