[2][4] She is also a mental health consumer advocate, having experienced recurrent major depression.

[4] Her experiences of not being supported during those episodes especially within the workplace motivated her to want to change community attitudes towards mental illness.

[15] The training program has spread to many other countries, including Bangladesh, Bermuda, Canada, China, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Japan, Malta, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Pakistan, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, the United States and Wales.

[10][16] By 2025, over 8 million persons had been trained in Mental Health First Aid globally.

[17] Kitchener has received many awards and honours for her work on Mental health first aid, including: Some of her publications are the following: