Mental Health Awareness for Outdoor Practitioners

Mental Health First Aid is an initial response to distress and all participants on the course understand that this help is given only until other suitable or professional help can be found. Mental health issues and their management are becoming a major issue for those working in the outdoor environment.  This course aims to give a range of skills and confidence for outdoor practitioners both to deal with mental health incidents in groups they are working with, and in support of their colleagues. 

The course was developed with, and is designed for Forest school practitioners, Expedition leaders, Mountain rescue team members, Countryside rangers, Wildlife & tourism Guides, Outdoor instructors, Coaches, Scouts and guide leaders, DoE leaders/assessors, teachers working in the outdoors. 

Candidates will become more informed about how to deal with mental health incidents in the outdoor environment.  The course does not train people to be mental health workers. It offers basic general information about mental health problems. 

The course is participatory and helps develop the soft skills needed for dealing with mental health incidents in a trauma informed way.  Real life case studies are used throughout the learning to contextualise the scenarios for workers in the outdoor sector.

Trainers are qualified trainers and have a background working in mental health or have a lived experience with mental health issues. Trainers have a background as outdoor practitioners.  They undergo a rigorous quality assurance process annually. 

Our 1 Day Mental Health Awareness for Outdoor Practitioners course is priced at the same rate as our 1 day physical first aid courses.

First Aid Training Co-operative exceed the HSE Employers' Due Diligence requirements for first aid training providers.

We have ISO9001, ISO14001, & ISO45001 Certification and are also members of the Federation of First Aid Training Organisations and Co-operatives UK.

You can rely on our quality assured systems for the correct accreditation of your course.

We are a Living Wage Accredited employer, and a carbon neutral company. We are in business for good.

CPD Points

The following organisations award CPD points to their members for completing this course: 

Mountain Training Association - 1 Point

Paddle Scotland - 10 Points

Simply upload your certificate on completion of the course to the relevant members' portal to qualify

3 Years

Course content includes an awareness of: 

• The role and responsibilities of a Mental Health First Responder
• The mental health continuum including the recovery message
• Early warning signs of mental health distress
• Why and when to use the Suicide Question and suicide intervention 
• The impact of neurodivergence on mental health
• Safeguarding vs Mental Health intervention
• How to deal with mental health incidents outdoors (FIRST Incident Procedure)
• Self-care actions to maintain mental well-being 
• Mental Health policy and incident form completion