Mental Health First Aid
At least one in four people in the UK are affected by a mental health condition at some point in their life and it is important for businesses and organisations to have the ability to spot signs and symptoms in order to guide members of your team towards appropriate support available.
We are offering a professional two-day Mental Health First Aid course to enable you to gain the skills to give you a deeper understanding of the issues around mental health and how to offer vital help.
What is Mental Health First Aid?
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an internationally recognised training course, designed to teach people how to spot the signs and symptoms of mental ill health and provide help on a first aid basis. Adult MHFA courses can be attended by people aged 16 upwards and are relevant for the general population. Everyone on an Adult MHFA course is taught a set of skills, which enables them to support someone experiencing mental health issues.
The course can be delivered according to your bespoke requirements and is perfect for businesses of all sizes as well as organisations who regularly come into contact with young people and former armed forces personnel.
Each and every MHFA course is delivered by Anne Beckett-Allen, a quality assured instructor, who is accredited by the Royal Society for Public Health. She is passionate about promoting awareness of good mental health and wellbeing of staff in the workplace.
What skills will delegates learn?
The course will:
- Give a deeper understanding of the issues that impact on and relate to people’s mental health
- Teach practical skills that can be used every day, including being able to spot the signs and symptoms of mental health issues and feel confident guiding people towards appropriate support
- Give delegates confidence to step in, reassure and support a person in distress
- Develop enhanced interpersonal skills such as non-judgemental listening
- Build knowledge to help someone recover their health by guiding them to appropriate support
Independent research and evaluation shows that taking part in an MHFA course:
- Raises awareness and mental health literacy
- Reduces stigma around mental ill health and feel confident guiding people towards appropriate support
- Boosts knowledge and confidence in dealing with mental health issues
- Encourages people to start a conversation with a person who may be experiencing a mental health issue
- Promotes early intervention, which enables recovery. MHFA won’t teach you how to be a therapist, but you will be able to say you’re a Mental Health First Aider
Employer Responsibilities and legal duties
In the event of injury or sudden illness, failure to provide first aid could result in a casualty’s death. Every employer should ensure that an employee who is injured or taken ill at work receives immediate attention. The Health & Safety Executive will prosecute in cases where there is a significant risk, a disregard for established standards or persistent poor compliance with the law. More information can be found in HSE’s Enforcement Policy Statement.
The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require employers to provide adequate and appropriate equipment, facilities and personnel to ensure their employees receive immediate attention if they are injured or taken ill at work. These Regulations apply to all workplaces including those with less than five employees and to the self-employed.
What is ‘adequate and appropriate’ will depend on the circumstances in the workplace. This includes whether trained first-aiders are needed, what should be included in a first-aid box and if a first-aid room is required. Employers should carry out an assessment of first-aid needs to determine what to provide.
Physical first aid courses teach you the initial help to give an injured person before professional help can be obtained. Its four main aims are to:
- Preserve life
- Prevent further harm
- Promote recovery
- Provide comfort
Similarly, mental health first aid is the help given to someone experiencing a mental health issue before professional help is received.
By the end of this course you will be able to recognise the signs and symptoms of mental ill health, provide initial help, guide the person towards appropriate professional help and be mindful of your own well-being. We will address the importance of building a mentally healthy workplace and every participant will develop an action plan for using Mental Health First Aid.
What is covered on a two day MHFA course?
Our MHFA instructors deliver training in four manageable chunks, each with a focus on how to apply Mental Health First Aid skills:
On our first day, we start by looking at why it is important to have first aid skills for mental ill health in the same way that we do for physical ill health and learn a mental health first aid action plan. We will discuss the impact of mental health issues and look at the stigma and discrimination that surrounds mental health, addressing many of the myths that stop people from helping.
We will look at what stress and depression actually are, and learn its signs, symptoms and risk factors, before tackling depression in the workplace.
This session investigates some the statistics around suicide and the impact of drugs and alcohol on mental health. We will look at applying first aid in a suicidal crisis and understand the importance of non-judgemental listening skills. We will also look at applying first aid skills for depression and gain an understanding of the available treatments and resources for depression. At the end of day one we will review the learning so far and take some time to consider the importance of mental health first aiders paying attention to our own self-care.
The start of day two looks at anxiety disorders and how to apply first aid for anxiety disorders as well as crisis first aid after a traumatic event. We will discuss the impact of drugs and alcohol on anxiety disorders as well as looking at the range of treatments and resources that can be offered. We will also examine cognitive disorders, personality disorders, eating disorders and self-harm.
This last session of the course focus on psychosis, what it is, the risk factors and how to apply first aid for acute psychosis. We will look at schizophrenia and bi polar disorder and discover the warning signs of developing psychosis, as well as the treatments and resources available and the key factors of recovery. One of the key messages that we convey is that recovery from mental health issues is likely and possible, but this may mean different things to different people and is not necessarily about the absence of symptoms. Hope is central to recovery and as Mental Health First Aiders we can help foster this. We will address the importance of building a mentally healthy workplace and every participant will come away with an action plan for using Mental Health First Aid.
How much will it cost?
This two-day course is valued at £300 per delegate. We want the course to be as accessible as possible and we can usually offer a small number of places at a reduced fee for charities or individuals who are not be able to fund the full cost.
We also offer an early bird discount of £75.00 for delegates booking and paying for their place two months prior to the course starting or for organisations sending three or more delegates.
Everyone who attends will receive a copy of the MHFA manual and workbook, which are both excellent support resources. When you have completed the course, you will also receive a certificate to confirm that you are a trained Mental Health First Aider.
If you would like us to run the two-day course exclusively for your organisation please contact us to discuss dates.
Up to 12 delegates £2,250
Up to 16 delegates £2,450
Course dates
The cost for this course is £300 per delegate and we will offer an early bird discount of £75 for delegates booking and paying for their place two months prior to the course commencing. Please use the code EARLYBIRD75.
We are planning to add dates soon for both Adult Two Day & Refresher MHFA courses in 2025. To register your interest in any future training, please email us at
Watch: Norman Lamb's MHFA video diary
Gallery: Mental Health First Aid course
Information on other training courses
- Free Supporting Those Bereaved by Suicide TrainingDecember 7, 2021
Free Supporting Those Bereaved by Suicide Training 
Funeral Arranging and Administration
Funeral Service Awareness Online Training
Getting a job in the Funeral Profession