Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an internationally recognised training course, designed to teach people how to spot the signs and symptoms of mental ill health and provide help on a first aid basis.
Click Here for MHFA Refresher Training Click Here for our September 2024 Open MHFA CourseIn the same way as learning physical first aid, MHFA teaches people how to recognise those crucial warning signs of mental ill health and feel confident to guide someone to appropriate support.
Course outcomes
As MHFAiders®, your employees will be able to:
- Recognise those that may be experiencing poor mental health and provide them with first-level support and early intervention
- Encourage a person to identify and access sources of professional help and other supports
- Practise active listening and empathy
- Have a conversation with improved mental health literacy around language and stigma
- Discuss the MHFAider® role in depth, including boundaries and confidentiality
- Practise self-care
- Know how to use the MHFAider Support App®
- Know how to access a dedicated text service provided by Shout and ongoing learning opportunities with MHFA England
Format
- Online or face-to-face course structured across four flexible sessions. Each session is a maximum of 3hrs 45mins and sessions can be delivered within a two week period or within two days.
- Learners will be trained over four live sessions with an MHFA England Instructor Member, covering 14 hours of content in total.
- Learning takes place through a mix of instructor led training, group discussions, individual and group activities.
- Each session builds on the previous, enabling the learner to gain confidence in supporting others with a Mental Health First Aid action plan.
- We limit numbers to 16 people per course so that instructors can keep people safe and supported while they learn.
- We strive for all of our learning content to be as accessible and inclusive as possible.
Takeaways
Everyone who completes this course gets:
- A hard copy workbook to support their learning throughout the course
- A digital manual to refer to whenever they need it after completing the course
- A wallet-sized reference card with the Mental Health First Aid action plan
- A digital MHFAider® certificate
- Access to the MHFAider Support App® for three years
- Access to ongoing learning opportunities, resources and exclusive events
- The opportunity to be part of the largest MHFAider® community in England
Train as a workplace Mental Health First Aider (MHFAider®) and receive three years of certification, plus access to ongoing benefits.
This course is ideal for staff at every level who would like to become MHFAiders® to gain the knowledge and skills to spot signs of people experiencing poor mental health, be confident to start a conversation and signpost a person to appropriate support.
In addition to the course, your employees will become part of the largest MHFAider® community in England, gaining access to resources, ongoing learning and 24/7 digital support through our MHFAider Support App®, to give them the tools and knowledge they need to carry out their role effectively and confidently.
The role – the role of a Mental Health First Aider in the workplace is to be a point of contact for an employee who is experiencing a mental health issue or emotional distress. This interaction could range from having an initial conversation through to supporting the person to get appropriate help. As well as in a crisis, Mental Health First Aiders are valuable in providing early intervention help for someone who may be developing a mental health issue.
Mental Health First Aiders are not trained to be therapists or psychiatrists but they can offer initial support through non-judgemental listening and guidance.
At any one time one in four people will be experiencing depression, anxiety or issues relating to stress (Mind, 2020). We understand the importance of our workforce having access to a Mental Health First Aiders.
Poor mental health costs UK employers up to £56 billion each year. But for every £1 spent by employers on mental health interventions, they get back £5.30 in reduced absence, presenteeism, and staff turnover (Deloitte, 2022).
Embedding MHFA training within any organisation or community also encourages people to talk more freely about mental health, reducing stigma and creating a more positive culture.
Mental Health First Aiders are trained to:
- Spot the early signs and symptoms of mental ill health
- Start a supportive conversation with a colleague who may be experiencing a mental health issue or emotional distress
- Listen to the person non-judgementally
- Assess the risk of suicide or self-harm
- Encourage the person to access appropriate professional support or self-help strategies. This might include encouraging access to internal support systems such as EAPs or in-house counselling services
- Escalate to the appropriate emergency services, if necessary
- Maintain confidentiality as appropriate
- Complete critical incident documents as and when necessary
- Protect themselves while performing their role
Mental Health First Aiders will:
- Listen
- Provide a supportive environment in which to discuss mental Health issues
- Support those seeking advice in making decisions that are right for them and their situation
- Provide information on the options available and refer the individual on to another support mechanism
- Attend training in relation to the role
- Attend regular meetings with the Mental Health First Aid lead to share experience and good practice
- Attend supervision when appropriate
Mental Health First Training costs normally £325 per individual. We recommend you train a minimum of eight staff members to receive a closed training session for as little as £2600!