Mental health training for everyone
Front line workers often have to deal with people with experience of mental distress but lack the skills and confidence to support them appropriately. With one in four of us affected by mental health problems each year, service providers across the country are being offered a new short training course to deal more effectively with these challenges.
Mental Health First Aid was developed in Australia and is being rolled out in Scotland, Canada, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The 12 hour course does not train you to be a therapist, counsellor or mental health professional.
It will teach you to:
• give initial help to someone experiencing a mental health problem
• deal with a crisis situation or the first signs of someone developing mental ill health
• guide people towards appropriate help.
Course aims
Mental Health First Aid aims to help participants:
• preserve life where a person may be a danger to themselves or others
• provide help to prevent a mental health problem developing into a more serious state
• promote recovery of good mental health
• provide comfort to a person experiencing mental distress.