Course Title: Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)

Course aim: To increase the knowledge and confidence of participants to enable them to provide first aid and support for people experiencing a mental health problem.

Course overview: Many people are unsure how to respond to someone who appears to be experiencing a mental health problem. This course provides participants with the knowledge and confidence to recognise mental health problems, to respond helpfully and support the person’s recovery. It will be valuable for employers who have concerns about the wellbeing of their staff, mainly because it highlights the different behaviours associated with mental health conditions within the workplace, as well as ways of managing and containing those behaviours.

MHFA is a certificated course and has been in development for 13 years: it has an international profile in 21 countries.

Key benefits:

• Spot the early signs of a mental health problem
• Feel confident helping someone experiencing a problem
• Provide help on a first aid basis
• Help prevent someone from hurting themselves or others
• Help stop a mental illness from getting worse by applying a range of techniques to manage someone with a mental health condition
• Help someone recover faster
• Guide someone towards the right support
• Reduce the stigma of mental health problems
• Increase awareness of participants own attitudes to mental health and illness

Duration of course: 12 hours delivered in a variety of ways: two six hour days (split over a 2 week period) or four three hour sessions. Sessions are interactive using videos of real life case studies, group activities and discussions.

Training Style

Training is delivered in a relaxed and flexible manner with plenty of opportunity for questions and discussion. We are able to deliver this material in a fun and informative way drawing on work and personal experience.

Course Content

Session 1

• Why mental health first aid?
• Mental health policy in Northern Ireland
• Common mental health problems
• Attitude, beliefs and stigma
• The five steps of mental health first aid
• Recovery
• Self-care

Session 2

• Suicide in Northern Ireland
• Crisis first aid for suicidal behavior
• Self-harm awareness
• Symptoms of depression
• Awareness of Bi Polar disorder
• Treatment and resources for depression

Session 3

• What are anxiety disorders (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), social phobia, panic disorder, agoraphobia, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)?
• Symptoms of anxiety disorders
• Crisis first aid for panic attacks
• Treatment and resources for anxiety disorders
• Introduction to psychotic disorders (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder) and risk factors
• Treatment and resources

Session 4

• Introduction to substance use disorders (alcohol, drugs) and risk factors
• Treatment and resources for substance use disorders
• Other factors that impact on mental health
• Treatment and resources

Benefits for business:

• Reduced absenteeism
• Increased productivity
• Reduced staff turnover
• Reduction of grievance and disciplinary incidents
• Increased employee satisfaction

Cost £147 + VAT pp

Book onsite with a minimum of 6 people.

Contact Edel on 02830252107 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it