Mental Health First Aid
Mental Health First Aid
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) was originally developed in Australia by Betty Kitchener and her husband Professor Anthony Jorm. This internationally recognised programme of simple steps can be used to help a person in distress.
Founded in 2001, the programme has spread from Australia to over 20 countries including the United Kingdom. More information on Mental Health First Aid International, trading as Mental Health First Aid Australia, at www.mhfa.au. Our instructors are experienced health professionals who have completed an approved MHFA instructor’s qualification.
Mental Health First Aid Course
This course is designed for everyone.
The course aims are:
- To preserve life.
- To provide help to prevent the mental health problem or crisis developing into a more serious state.
- To promote the recovery of good mental health.
- To provide comfort to a person experiencing distress.
- To promote understanding of mental health issues.
Five good reasons to attend:
- Most people don’t know what to do in a mental health crisis. Take the course and you will be one of the few who knows what to do and is confident about putting that knowledge into action.
- You will learn how to recognise when a person might need help and the best way to approach them.
- You could save a life by learning basic suicide intervention skills.
- You will learn what protects your own and other people’s mental health.
- You will learn new skills that are useful in every part of your life
Learning outcomes:
- How to apply the 5 steps of mental health first aid
- How to respond if you believe someone is at risk of suicide.
- How to give immediate help until professional help is available.
- What to say and do in a crisis
- The importance of good listening skills
- Practice listening and responding
- Understanding recovery from mental health problems
- Understanding the connection between mental health problems and alcohol and drugs
- Understanding the connection between mental health problems and discrimination
- Some basic information about common mental health problems
- Self-help information
The course takes 12 hours and is often run on two separate days.
