What is MHFA?

MHFA stands for Mental Health First Aid. Just like physical First Aid it focuses on four aims:

•   Preserve life where a person may be at risk of harm to themselves or others.
•   Provide help to prevent the mental health issue from becoming more serious.
•   Promote recovery of good mental health.
•   Provide comfort to a person with a mental health issue.

Candidates will learn seven key aspects:

•    Spot the early signs of a mental health issue. The course covers a lot of symptoms of different mental health illnesses,
•    Feel confident in how to offer and provide initial help to a person experiencing a mental health issue,
•    Preserve life where a person may be at risk of harm to themselves or others,
•    Help stop mental ill health from getting worse,
•    Promote recovery for good mental health,
•    Guide someone towards appropriate treatment and other sources of help,
•    Understand the stigma that exists around mental health.

MHFA England is the English arm of a global MHFA programme set up by Betty Kitchener in Australia in 2003. She recognised the need for a simple set of tools for an individual helping someone with either poor mental health or in a mental health crisis.

This simple tool is taught as the core of the two-day adult MHFA course with a huge amount of supporting information, case studies and opportunity for the candidates to learn about how to tackle mental health.

Topics covered include:

•    Depression
•    Suicide
•    Impact of drugs and alcohol
•    Anxiety Disorders
•    Eating Disorders
•    Self Harm
•    Psychosis
•    Schizophrenia
•    Bipolar
•    Self care
•    Recovery Plans
•    Action Plans

Candidates receive a workbook, action card, a globally recognised certificate and three years worth of access to the MHFA England app. The same course is taught all over the world and MHFA England operate stringent standards for all their instructors to ensure that all candidates receive the highest quality training and information.

The course was fantastic. Incredibly well presented and fantastically useful.