An interview with UW Bothell student Aurelie Segura on getting certified in Mental Health First Aid
As Aurelie Segura arrived onto the Zoom, she wore a black hoodie or sweatshirt, headphones, and had her hair in a low ponytail. She was in a medium lit room which seemed like she was facing a window. Aurelie seemed to be in a smaller, private room with a plain background and a door nearby. Aurelie also mentioned that she could hear people outside of her room, indicating that there was a common-area space outside her door. Aurelie shared her experiences as a queer disabled person living with Epilepsy. have shaped her mental health, sense of identity, and daily life. Throughout the interview, she discussed the challenges and perspectives that come with navigating both her disability and queer identity.
What are signs or symptoms that you would look for if you suspected one of your queer friends or loved ones might be in crisis?
AS: I’ve unfortunately had to deal with this multiple times. Most commonly, the first thing is an initial pull away. They try and tell you everything is okay, but they go from being typically outgoing to being really quiet and shut down. Sometimes they try to overcompensate; especially with Neurodivergent individuals, they might start trying hard to make jokes to seem like they’re okay.
A second step might be skipping meals because they stop wanting to take care of themselves. In my group, there was also a lot less care about school. Skipping class without friends was a big indicator of people not wanting to do the bare minimum because they aren’t planning to go further. One of the scariest things for me was witnessing that pull away from academics completely.
If you determine the person is not in a crisis, how would you approach a peer who may be struggling?
AS: Usually I try to reach out first over something less intimidating, like Discord or text messages. I set it up in an unassuming way, just saying I’d like to catch up. I try to set up a coffee date or a walk in the park so it’s an open space where they don’t feel cornered. Starting that dialogue by asking what’s been going on or sharing what’s up with me can start the conversation. Sometimes they suddenly need hours to vent, which can be incredibly powerful. You might have to do more of the legwork on the friendship for a while, but for me, it’s usually been worth it.
I like how you mentioned meeting in private. You’ve had these conversations enough to know when “not to make it about me.” Could you explain that?
AS: We all have experiences with trauma, but they exist in degrees. If someone is having a hard time because they broke their arm and can’t play music, it doesn’t help to say, “Well, my uncle died last summer, so this is nothing.” It’s not a helpful comparison.
Meeting somebody where they’re at without judging is important. How do you validate people and offer services without sounding like you’re giving advice?
AS: It can be as simple as telling someone that you have used services in the past. Reassuring someone that reaching out for help isn’t a weakness is huge. Telling others that I’ve used an anonymous call line has helped my friends recognize they might want to try something like group counseling. It allows them to make their own decision.
You mentioned that if somebody is in crisis, you call for professional help, like 988. Can you explain what 988 is?
AS: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a crisis hotline. It works well for someone who is close to self-harm or experiencing a psychotic break. It’s helpful to access professionals who are more adequate to deal with this than I am since I don’t have a medical practitioner’s license. Supporting someone in that state is incredibly difficult and not something you should attempt to handle alone.
Can you talk more about self-care and focusing on breathing?
AS: It’s always better to acknowledge feelings early. One of the things I do is just sit outside and appreciate the weather. I remind people that they can put the phone down for 10 minutes, sit on the grass, and just breathe. Yesterday, I was playing my guitar outside and met two people who also played instruments. We talked about how we had been socially withdrawn and were trying to get back into being social. Admitting that is a big step towards healing.
What is your intended career and how do you hope to bring mental health first aid to that career?
AS: I want to be a physical therapist. I do intend to work with people who are facing physical challenges and want to be stronger for themselves. I want to use mental health first aid in that prevention aspect. I know when people are trying to recover from injuries that require a PT, that can be a really mentally challenging time because you feel that your physical capabilities are restricted.. This has happened with lots of people in my life– they have an injury and they used to be active and they stopped being active because of that injury […] Right now, I use movement as a toll through group fitness [as an instructor]… I hope to do that with injury prevention and recovery.
I learned that practicing sitting in silence and learning to let people sit in space. That’s been helpful in goals in the past as a fitness instructor. I want to apply this in regaining sense of normalcy and control. I have a natural tendency to share my own stories […] I learned that sometimes sitting in silence is the best option to make the person feel supported, I hope to bring this skill to my future job as a PT. If I try to fill that silence by trying to fill up with my own story then I might cause more harm than good, and that’s what MHFA helped me understand.
How is MHFA and your experiences helping you to become a physical therapist?
AS: I highly value taking care of one’s body as the ultimate act of self-care. Your body can be used as expression, it can be used as a tool. Being in a body that feels or is limited can be very harmful in this way, as it necessarily changes the ways that you can express and use yourself. To me, starting that positive feedback loop of investing into oneself and capabilities is the biggest and most difficult step to take. I always try and empower people when I work with them now, on both a friendly level and a professional level, to see themselves as someone worth taking care of and someone worth putting that investment into. With PT, I’m hoping to be able to help people that are in that particularly prone space of feeling limited or stuck and frustrated in their bodies. MHFA has given me invaluable tools for helping people through these struggles already, and I see it as the first steppingstone to being able to provide empathetic quality care.
What is the intersection between mental health and having a disability?
AS: This is a really big one. It created a big struggle for me, and I don’t even have the most visible identity. I have epilepsy. I have seizures, and I’m on medication for it. When I first discovered I had epilepsy, that diagnosis really hit me hard because it was something that limited my independence to such an extent. When you have epilepsy, if it’s not completely controlled by medication, you are not allowed to operate machinery, you are not allowed to go on certain trips, you are not allowed to do a lot of things that people would consider activities of daily living.
So, you’re not allowed to operate machinery, you’re referring to driving specifically? Okay, so, and that’s very much tied with independence. How is that diagnosis of not being able to drive, potentially. How does that affect individuals who have a similar diagnosis?
AS: I have a lot of limitations as to where I can go on a day-to-day basis. Like, I really like hiking. I can’t go hiking alone. Which, I mean, isn’t a good idea for most. Because bears, you know, bears and… Bears. Definitely, it’s the bears, the bears that I’m worried about. So I’m fortunate enough that I actually have a dog that I’m training to be a seizure detection and response dog. I’m allowed to go hiking with her, because what happens when a lot of people come out of a seizure […] You kind of, like, lose touch with reality for a while[…] unless you have someone sitting with you, or you have, in my case, a dog sitting with me. Literally [the dog] being like, you should not go anywhere right now.
What is the mental health impact of being afraid overnight? You can’t drive, when previously you have been able to.
AS: [M]y ability to drive is completely controlled by my medication being effective. My medication was recently ineffective, so I can’t drive for the next calendar year. Having that experience of not knowing whether you’re going to be able to drive is a big impact because that affects your ability to hold a job and get groceries, especially when you’re not living in a central space.
For me, it is not the biggest issue, because my family has the means to transport me, but for a lot of people, especially if you’re living alone, you suddenly have to run the risk of driving illegally because your work is 40 minutes out. You can’t just tell your boss you can’t make it to work; they’re going to want you to get an Uber, which is expensive and not something everybody can afford. Essentially, you lose the ability to do basic daily living things immediately.
Thank you for being brave and sharing this. So you are somebody who has found ways to cope with seizures, but as you mentioned, it also affects your mental health. How is that relevant to your training in mental health for the state? Are you involved in epilepsy groups?
AS: No, actually, I’ve started becoming more active with it recently. I was in denial of it for a long time from the initial diagnosis in 9th grade. I got it during COVID, which was a beautiful storm of acute traumas, so having that on top of everything was very overwhelming for me, and I just would never bring it up with people.
When I got really into physical activity, weightlifting, and being a fitness instructor, I realized that it made me feel like I had a lot more control over my body than my diagnosis originally led me to believe. Through that, I’ve tried to use physical movement as something that I connect with people over as a way to help encourage both myself and them to feel present in our bodies and understand that there is control that we have. Even though sometimes we lose it, we can get it back.
I would like to get back to the other two identities that you mentioned identifying as a member of the queer community and as a queer woman. […] I am aware of the laws that you referred to [earlier], but some of your classmates might not be as aware of how distressful it is for people you love.
AS: [I]f you are queer or gender-identifying at the moment, it can be a really big barrier to healthcare. Or having a driver’s license. Kansas decided overnight that if your gender at birth does not match your driver’s license, your license isn’t valid. There was no turnover time and no funds to issue new documentation for these people. They essentially took away a bunch of people’s ability to drive legally overnight. This is something people can face in other states as well. This is coming after the trans community specifically, but if they move forward with other laws like this, it might also impact married women who have taken the last name of their husbands. There is always potential to be the next marginalized group.
You said you feel most connected to the queer community, what makes that connection meaningful to you?
Being in a space that expects oddness and doesn’t shy away from it […] has led me to feel the most comfortable in queer spaces. […] The simple acceptance of just a ‘no’ allows me to feel seen for my other traits before my gender. Being allowed to express myself through my other identities—athlete, musician, [and] nerd—has given me the freedom to focus on how I want to present myself to the world. […] It makes it a lot easier to make friends.
Queer people in general have historically been targets of violence in the United States. Does the threat of harassment and assault also impact people in addition to the actual statistics?
AS: There is a lot of harassment and the threat of violence that goes on, even at the most basic level. [For example, y]ou’re minding your own business at lunch and somebody decides to start calling you names. It starts becoming an issue if your high school is an open campus; [since] once you step foot off campus, that school will [often] do nothing to protect you.
What is a hopeful note you’d like to leave?
AS: It gets better. Some of the things […] like movement and seeking [supportive people] was talked about in MHFA are the things that helped me […]. Movement looks different for everybody. You might not be able to move the same way you used to – comes with age. Moving where you are comfortable and is what’s going to empower you. For me, there are things I can never do. […] But the things I do have control over. I do what I can. For some it’s walking, for others, it’s Iron Man. But having control over where you choose to put in. Deciding that just moving [can be] enough. Do the best movement that you can FOR YOU and you’ll be better off for it.
We learned from Aurelie that mental health struggles within the queer communities are often deeply connected to identity and the ongoing lack of affirmation, which can make these experiences difficult to fully understand. As a queer individual living with epilepsy, she highlighted how disability can further shape these experiences, adding additional layers to both mental health challenges and the need for understanding and support. She showed how shared identity can create a rapid trust and connection, allowing individuals to feel safer opening up about their struggles.
Additionally, her perspective highlighted that supporting someone’s mental health can be especially challenging when you are close to them, as changes in behavior may be subtle and easy to overlook. This can lead to uncertainty or even feelings of guilt if signs are not recognized early. However we learned that Mental Health First Aid provides reassurance that we do not have to handle these situations alone. Knowing that outside support, such as professionals or crisis resources is available can increase the confidence in stepping in to help. Overall, Aurelie’s interview reinforced the importance of early intervention, shared support, and approaching others with greater awareness and confidence.
Aurelie also discussed her goal of becoming a physical therapist. Drawing from her own experiences with epilepsy and disability, she hopes to support others as they work toward improving their physical health and independence. She explained that Mental Health First Aid can play an important role in this career by helping her recognize when clients may be struggling emotionally, respond with empathy, and connect them with appropriate resources and support.
We would like to thank Aurelie for taking the time to share her story and experience with us. We truly appreciate her bravery and willingness to speak about such meaningful topics. Her insights helped deepen our understanding of mental health, identity and the importance of support within the queer community and beyond.
You can take steps to become more aware, supportive, and proactive when it comes to mental health, especially for individuals whose experiences are shaped by identity and disability. One important action is to educate yourself on mental health resources such as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), while also becoming familiar with the ALGEE action plan, so you can recognize early warning signs and respond appropriately. In both workplace and everyday settings, it is important to create inclusive environments by listening without judgment and supporting others with empathy. Moving forward, applying Mental Health First Aid means being proactive, connecting people to resources, and helping build a supportive and understanding community.