Mental Health First Aider Course

Delivering a practical approach to mental health first aid

The UKSA Mental Health First Aider course takes a unique practical approach to creating competent and confident workplace first aiders who are able to spot the signs and respond to the mental and physical health needs of a person experiencing a mental health issue.

About the course

Would you know how to help?

We all have mental health, just as we all have physical health. Mental ill health can strike at any time and can affect everyone.

Although things are improving, stigma still exists around mental ill health. As a society, we don’t tend to know how to take care of our mental health like we do our physical health. This means that people may not know how to support a friend, family member or colleague experiencing a mental health issue, or where to go for help with their own mental health.

The Mental Health First Aid training course, accredited by MHFA England takes place over two-days and is delivered across four sessions. You will gain the knowledge and skills to respond effectively to situations that they might face at work through a mixture of presentations, group discussions, and workshop activities.

What is a Mental Health First Aider?

The role of the Mental Health First Aider is to support employees in the workplace who are experiencing mental ill health or distress. This support can vary from having a non-judgmental conversation with a colleague, through to guiding them towards the right support. Someone with poor mental health may not realise it and even if they do, they may be reluctant to seek help, or might not know where to turn for care.

Why become a Mental Health First Aider?

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a training course which teaches people how to identify, understand and help someone who may be experiencing a mental health issue.

MHFA won’t teach you to be a therapist, but it will teach you to listen, reassure and respond, even in a crisis – and even potentially stop a crisis from happening.

You’ll learn to recognise warning signs of mental ill health and develop the skills and confidence to approach and support someone while keeping yourself safe.

You’ll also learn how to empower someone to access the support they might need for recovery or successful management of symptoms. This could include self-help books or websites, accessing therapy services through their GP, their school or place of work, online self-referral, support groups, and more.

What’s more, you’ll gain an understanding of how to support positive wellbeing and tackle stigma in the world around you.

By becoming an MHFAider with us you’ll have access to continuous support – well beyond your initial certification – so you are confident, empowered and motivated to carry out your role.  You will get three years’ access to MHFAider support and benefits which includes 24/7 digital support through the MHFAider Support App. From there, you will find exclusive resources, ongoing learning opportunities and the benefit of joining England’s largest community of trained MHFAiders.

Why choose MHFA England training with UKSA?

  • 91% of people had a better understanding of mental health after completing their MHFA England course
  • Since MHFA England was founded in 2007, our Instructor Members have trained hundreds and thousands of MHFAiders
  • All MHFA England Instructor Members are accredited by the Royal Society of Public Health, meaning you can expect a quality assured and consistent training experience
  • We are committed to improving the mental health of the nation If you want to know more about how we can develop your mental health support skills, get in touch today.

To learn more or book onto an MHFA course please contact our course advisors on +44 (0)1983 203028 or email us – we can accommodate individual or group bookings in any industry.

Qualifications

Upon completion of the course, you will receive:

  • A certificate of attendance to say you are a Mental Health First Aider
  • An electronic 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
  • Three years of access to the MHFAider Support App with 24/7 digital support
  • Access to exclusive resources, ongoing learning opportunities, and the benefit of joining England’s largest community of trained MHFAiders

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, 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

Register Your Interest