The UW-Madison Division of Extension is offering several mental health awareness and behavioral health education programs specifically for the agriculture community. The effort is a collaboration between three Institutes: Agriculture, Health & Well-Being, and Human Development & Relationships. The programs available are:
- Changing Our Mental and Emotional Trajectory (COMET™)
- Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)
- Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR)
- WeCOPE
The Need
Every day, Wisconsin farmers and farm families face financial challenges, demands of the job, and changes outside of their control that impact their lives and livelihoods. Coping with these chronic challenges can lead to chronic stress. This stress impacts farmers’ mental and physical well-being, relationships, and decision-making. At the same time, mental health matters to farmers and farm families. A 2019 survey conducted by the American Farm Bureau Federation found that mental health is an important issue to 82% of farmers/farm workers or their families. However, cost, embarrassment, and lack of recognition of common mental health challenges were all cited as obstacles to seeking help or treatment by many respondents. The COVID-19 pandemic and the stress it placed on rural residents also highlighted the limited mental health resources in rural communities. Tele-health has helped bridge the gap, but still, the need for more mental health support in rural areas is high.
Rural communities and especially agriculture communities value supporting each other in times of need. There are countless stories of farm communities coming together to get physically sick farmers’ crops planted or harvested. There are meal trains organized, get well cards and texts of encouragement sent. When a farmer or farm family faces a mental health challenge, it can be hard to let others know because of the perceived shame, that this is something that a farmer should “shake off”, or they just aren’t strong enough. Neighbors and others in the community may notice changes in mood, appearance or behavior and not know how to support those who are in a vulnerable emotional state, afraid to do or say the wrong thing.
We are each other’s best resource
Several organizations, including Extension, recognize the lack of rural mental health resources and want to tap into the strong tradition of neighbors helping neighbors in rural communities to address the gap. The goals are to:
- Build awareness and reduce the stigma around mental health challenges
- Teach rural community members how to be supportive of those struggling with mental health issues in an empathetic and appropriate way
- Build awareness of local, state, and national resources for mental health services
- Build rural community members confidence in supporting others and connecting them to appropriate resources
About the Progarms
This is not a comprehensive list of behavioral health programs. This is a list of programs that UW-Madison Division of Extension is currently offering and are in some way focused on the agriculture community.
If 8 hours (MHFA) seems daunting, and you want to become comfortable with active listening skills, COMET™ is a good choice.
If you are interested in a comprehensive training program, MHFA might be the best choice, it is an 8-hour time commitment and most likely requires some online self-paced prework.
If you want information on supporting someone with suicidal thoughts and behaviors and don’t yet want to commit to an 8-hour course, QPR is the one for you.
Want something to help you with your own stress? Give yourself a gift by committing to one hour a week for 7 weeks with WeCOPE.
COMET™
COMET™ is a gentle introduction to supporting friends and neighbors in a vulnerable space to help them shift their mental health trajectory back to a place of wellness and away from the path of a mental health crisis.
Participants will learn how to initiate a supportive interaction for a potentially emotional conversation, how to exit the conversation in a supportive way, and resources to share with others if they need more than a listening ear.
Time commitment: 2 hours
Format options:
- In-person
- Virtual
Cost: Currently free, supported by the North Central Farm/Ranch Stress Assistance Center: Engaging Programs to Support Producer Well-being supported by USDA NIFA Award 2020-70028-32728; when grant funding is not available there may be charges for meeting space and trainers’ travel.
Target audience: Farmers, rural community members, agriculture service professionals, anyone who has contact with farmers
Upcoming virtual COMET™ trainings can be found here. If you would like to arrange a COMET™ for your agricultural business or organization, contact joy.kirkpatrick@wisc.edu, 608.263.3485.
Mental Health First Aid
Just as CPR teaches you how to help someone having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid covers how to help someone experiencing a mental health challenge including, but not limited to, depression and anxiety symptoms, panic attacks and substance misuse, as well as someone thinking about suicide. The program gives participants the skills and confidence to provide initial support and respond in both crisis and non-crisis situations. Mental Health First Aid is a program that teaches participants how to identify, understand and respond to signs of these challenges.
Time commitment: approximately 8 hours (which includes short breaks and a meal break)
Format options:
- Blended virtual (2 hours online pre-work, 5.5 hours live, instructor-led virtual workshop)
- Blended in-person (2 hours of online pre-work, 5.5 hours in-person workshop)
- Fully in-person (7.5 hours in-person workshop)
Cost: Currently free, supported by the North Central Farm/Ranch Stress Assistance Center: Engaging Programs to Support Producer Well-being supported by USDA NIFA Award 2020-70028-32728 and the Wisconsin Rural Opioid and Stimulant Engagement (WiROSE) project; usually $25/person + meals and speaker travel costs if in-person
Target audience: Farmers, rural community members, agriculture service professionals, anyone who has contact with farmers
If you would like to arrange an Adult Mental Health First Aid training for your agricultural business or organization, complete this short interest form: https://go.wisc.edu/46dp5f For more information, contact joy.kirkpatrick@wisc.edu, 608.263.3485.
Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR)
QPR is a program that provides training on suicide prevention. It is specific to suicide prevention.
QPR teaches participants how to question, persuade and refer someone who may be suicidal, the common causes of suicidal behavior, the warning signs of suicide, and how to get help for someone in crisis.
Time commitment: 1 to 1 ½ hours
Format Options:
- Virtual
- In-person
Cost: Currently free, supported by the North Central Farm/Ranch Stress Assistance Center: Engaging Programs to Support Producer Well-being supported by USDA NIFA Award 2020-70028-32728 and the CHS Farmer Wellbeing project 2020 funding; usually costs $29.95 to take the course online through the QPR Institute.
Target audience: Anyone who wants to be more comfortable in supporting someone who expresses suicidal thoughts or behaviors.
If you would like to arrange a QPR for your agricultural business or organization, contact joy.kirkpatrick@wisc.edu, 608.263.3485.
WeCOPE
WeCOPE (Connecting with Our Positive Emotions) is a practice and skills-based program featuring 11 targeted activities and “practices” that can measurably improve mental and physical health, happiness, and overall well-being.
Participants will learn skills such as mindfulness, savoring, positive reappraisal, gratitude, and goal setting.
Time commitment: 7 hours over 7 weeks (1 hour/week)
Format Options:
- Virtual
- In-person
Cost: Currently free, supported by Wisconsin Rural Opioid and Stimulant Engagement (WiROSE) project
Target audience: Farmers and agriculture workers (agriculture version). Anyone who would like to improve their coping skills can access the general audience version.
To learn about WeCOPE trainings for the agriculture community, contact jennifer.parkmroch@wisc.edu
