Mental Health First Aider

The Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) course teaches you how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness and distress. You will learn how to have supportive conversations with people who are struggling, and how to help them access appropriate professional support.

This course will equip you with the knowledge and skills to:

  • Understand mental health and the factors that can affect well-being

  • Recognise the signs and symptoms of common mental health conditions

  • Understand the impact of mental health problems on individuals

  • Perform some physical first aid as part of the response to mental illness

  • Confidence to offer supportive conversations with people who are struggling

  • Help people access appropriate professional support

  • Take care of your own mental health

  • Implement reasonable mental health adjustments when an individual returns to work

  • Create a positive mental health culture in the workplace

Who is this course for?

Those looking to qualify as Mental Health First Aiders.

Ideal for anyone who wants to support family, friends, colleagues, or community members with their mental health.

It is also a valuable qualification for professionals who work with people, such as teachers, social workers, and healthcare workers.

Duration

This is a 2 day course.

Topics covered:

  • What is mental health?

  • What is the difference between a mental health episode, crisis and condition?

  • What factors can affect our mental health?

  • The mental health continuum

  • Roles and responsibilities of a Mental health First Aider and Responder

  • Key attributes and behaviours of a Mental Health First Aider

  • Mental health action plan protocol (DR EFG)

  • How to support an individual (and their line manager) when returning to work after an absence due to poor mental health.

  • Physical first aid skills to be used in response to mental illness

  • How to carry out a risk assessment when supporting an individual

  • How to spot the difference between a medical emergency and an imminent threat to life (including how to identify which mental health conditions may be described as either) and what action to take

  • Recognising stress and how to support someone who may be experiencing stress

  • Recognising when someone is in crisis

  • Suicide continuum, risk factors, signs and symptoms

  • Recognising and understanding self-harm, eating disorders, PTSD & OCD

  • Psychosis - including delusions, thought disorder and hallucinations

  • Bipolar disorder

  • How to display empathy

  • Key skills to support an individual with poor mental health, including where to signpost them and how to have important wellbeing conversations

  • Overview of key legislation relevant to mental health

  • Exploring attitudes around mental health and how to create a positive culture in the workplace through influence and action planning

Certification

Level 2 Award in First Aid for Mental Health will be issued to the learner through ‘First Aid Awards UK’ subject to successful assessment.

This qualification is valid for three years from the date of achievement. It is strongly recommended that the learner attends annual refresher training. The learner will need to complete the full course again to re-qualify for a further three years.