MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID

1 IN 4 OF US WILL EXPERIENCE A MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE EACH YEAR
TLS are accredited to run and qualify you as a Mental Health First Aider in England.
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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 people from all walks of life. 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 support with their own mental health.
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.
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Key messages
– Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is the mental health equivalent of physical first aid
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– MHFA England is the only provider of licensed Mental Health First Aid Instructor Training inEngland. Information about MHFA England and its courses can be found at mhfaengland.org
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– MHFA England training provides participants with the skills and confidence to recognise the signs and symptoms of common mental health issues and effectively guide a person towards the right support
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– MHFA England’s mission is to help people develop the skills to look after their own and others' wellbeing and reduce the stigma associated with mental ill health.
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– MHFA England training, courses and Instructor Members are continually quality assured, using robust assessment and evaluation measures
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– MHFA is an internationally recognised course, taught in 25 countries around the world. There are now over 2.6 million people trained in MHFA skills worldwide
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We offer a blended learning approach to our training.
See our course overview below.
COURSE OVERVIEW
SESSION 1
Individual learning (1 hour):
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
SESSION 2
Individual learning (2 hours):
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
SESSION 3
Individual learning (2 hours):
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
SESSION 4
Individual learning (2 hours):
Activity 18: What are 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 video
Case study activity using Mental Health First Aid action plan for psychosis
Recovery
Explore how to build a mentally healthy workplace
Start action plan to use Mental Health First Aid
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