NAMI and the Hospital Corporation of America have collaborated together to create Competent Caring: When Mental Illness Becomes a Traumatic Event, a DVD for continuing education training for health care staff. The DVD highlights the experience of an individual living with a mental illness, as well as the staff response when he seeks treatment for a mental health crisis in an emergency room setting.
The DVD contains a 47-minute version and a 15-minute abbreviated version. Both versions depict two scenarios of the same situation, one performed ineffectively, and one performed effectively by emergency room staff. The full version provides the element of a panel discussion throughout the DVD.
Developed for people who work directly with individuals living with mental illness in a hospital or health care setting, Competent Caring is useful for ER doctors, nurses, techs, administrative assistants, medical assistants, executives and other emergency room or healthcare agency staff.
Competent Caring can help reduce anxiety of health care staff by providing tools and strategies to recognize and respond effectively when an individual is experiencing a mental health crisis.
By reducing the stigma surrounding mental health, the video can also improve the experience of the person and family receiving care.
Purchase a copy of Competent Caring from the NAMI Store.
NAMI HelpLine is available M-F, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. ET. Call 800-950-6264,
text “helpline” to 62640, or chat online. In a crisis, call or text 988 (24/7).
