Intro
Our Mental Health First Aid course empowers MHFAiders to play a critical role in supporting people’s mental health and creating healthy working environments.
Our course is ideal for anyone who’d like to gain the knowledge and skills to spot the signs of someone experiencing poor mental health, be confident to start a conversation, and signpost them to appropriate support.
MHFAiders® receive three years of certification and are invited to join the Association of Mental Health First Aiders® – England’s first and only membership body for MHFAiders. As well as access to ongoing learning and expert support, members gain the benefits of being part of a national movement for better mental health.
Cost
| Per Person | £325 |
| Group Rate (10-16 participants) |
£3,250 |
In addition, charges are added for Instructors’ travel expenses, accommodation and refreshments if required, and any venue hire costs incurred.
Course Outcomes
As an MHFAider® you 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
- 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 one, 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
Benefits
Investing in the MHFA course doesn’t just benefit you. You’re helping to create a healthier, more supportive environment where everyone can thrive.
Better understanding of mental health and less stigma ripples out into communities, with the potential to improve and save lives.
Takeaways
Everyone who completes the course gets:
- A digital manual to refer to whenever you need it
- An interactive digital workbook to support your learning throughout the course
- A digital certificate of attendance to say you are now a Mental Health First Aider
Course Structure
Session 1
- Mental Health First Aid and the action plan
- The MHFAider role and self-care
- Helpful and unhelpful language
- Useful models to support the role
Session 2
- What influences mental health?
- What is anxiety?
- Crisis first aid
- Active listening and empathy
- What are eating disorders?
- What is self-harm?
- What is substance misuse?
Session 3
- Applying the Mental Health First Aid action plan
- What is depression?
- What is suicide?
- Crisis first aid continued
- What is psychosis?
Session 4
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- Recovery and lived experience
- Boundaries in the MHFAider role
- Moving forward in the MHFAider role
- My MHFA action plan
How often should MHFA England skills be refreshed ?
We believe that mental health should be treated equally to physical health – and just like physical first aid, Mental Health First Aid training should be kept up to date. The refresher must be done within six months of the three-year renewal date.
This course requires a minimum of 6 participants to run, and has a maximum capacity of 16 participants.