This course is available as either an online or face to face training session.

This course raises awareness of mental health. It covers:

  • What mental health is and how to challenge stigma
  • A basic knowledge of some common mental health issues
  • An introduction to looking after your own mental health and maintaining wellbeing
  • Confidence to support someone in distress or who may be experiencing a mental health issue

Format

  • This is a half day course delivered either face to face or via online video conferencing
  • Learning takes place through a mix of presentations, group discussions and workshop activities
  • We limit numbers to 25 people per course so that the instructor can keep people safe and supported while they learn

Takeaways

Everyone who completes the course gets:

  • A certificate of attendance to say you are Mental Health Aware
  • A manual to refer to whenever you need it
  • A workbook including a helpful toolkit to support your own mental health

This online course qualifies you as a Mental Health First Aider, giving you:

  • An in-depth understanding of mental health and the factors that can affect wellbeing
  • Practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues
  • Confidence to step in, reassure and support a person in distress
  • Enhanced interpersonal skills such as non-judgemental listening
  • Knowledge to help someone recover their health by guiding them to further support – whether that’s self-help resources, through their employer, the NHS, or a mix

Format

  • This is an online course delivered through the MHFA England Online Learning Hub
  • Learning takes place through four live training sessions, spread across one or two weeks, with

self-learning activities in between. See course structure section below for more detail

  • Each session is built around a Mental Health First Aid action plan

Takeaways

Everyone who completes the course gets:

  • A certificate of attendance to say you are a Mental Health First Aider
  • A manual to refer to whenever you need it
  • A quick reference card for the Mental Health First Aid action plan
  • A workbook including a helpful toolkit to support your own mental health
  • A Talk T-shirt

Individual learning:

  • Introduction to the Online Mental Health First Aid course and the Online Learning Hub (course overview, safety procedure, attending live sessions, and completing individual learning activities)
  • Activity 1: Why Mental Health First Aid?
  • Activity 2: The Mental Health First Aid action plan
  • Activity 3: What is mental health?
  • Activity 4: Quiz: Impact of mental health
  • Activity 5: Stress Container (completed after live session)
  • Activity 6: Frame of Reference (completed after live session)

Live session (1 hour 45 minutes):

  • Introduction to course functions
  • Introduction to the course
  • ALGEE and mental health introduction recap
  • Stigma
  • Risk and protective factors
  • Frame of Reference
  • The Mental Health Continuum
  • Introduction to the Stress Container

Individual learning:

  • Activity 7: What is depression?
  • Activity 8: Risk factors for depression
  • Activity 9: Mental Health First Aid for depression
  • Activity 10: Introduction to suicide

Live session (2 hours 20 minutes):

  • Recap of individual learning on depression
  • Prevalence of suicide
  • Suicide, substance misuse and dual diagnosis
  • Analyse the impact of suicidal feelings
  • Recap of ALGEE and risk factors for suicide
  • Explain Mental Health First Aid action plan 1 for suicide
  • Explain non-judgemental listening, Empathy video
  • Practice using ALGEE in case study scenarios
  • Review of ALGEE for suicide and depression
  • Self-care

Individual learning:

  • Activity 11: What is anxiety?
  • Activity 12: Mental Health First Aid for anxiety
  • Activity 13: What are eating disorders?
  • Activity 14: Mental Health First Aid for eating disorders
  • Activity 15: What is self-harm?
  • Activity 16: Mental Health First Aid for self-harm
  • Activity 17: What are personality disorders?

Live session (2 hours):

  • Recap of individual learning on anxiety
  • Recap of the five basic steps of ALGEE for anxiety
  • Explain action 1 for anxiety
  • How to support someone who is having a panic attack
  • Explain crisis first aid
  • Practice action 2: non-judgemental listening
  • Practice applying the Mental Health First Aid action plan for anxiety
  • Explain cognitive behavioural therapy
  • Recap of eating disorders and self-harm
  • Case study for eating disorders and self-harm
  • Review ALGEE for eating disorders and self-harm<

Individual learning:

  • Activity 18: What is psychosis, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder?
  • Activity 19: Risk factors for psychosis
  • Activity 20: Mental Health First Aid for psychosis
  • Activity 21: Helpful and unhelpful responses
  • Workbook Activity 10: My action plan for using Mental Health First Aid (completed after live session)

Live session (1 hour 55 minutes):

  • Review of individual learning on psychosis
  • Explain the development of symptoms of psychosis
  • Review the five steps of ALGEE for psychosis
  • Group discussion about MHFA Australia psychosis videos
  • Case study activity using Mental Health First Aid action plan for psychosis
  • Recovery
  • Explore how to build a mentally healthy workplace
  • Start action