Why bother with Mental Health First Aid courses? Because people matter whether in the workplace or at home. Because poor mental health accounts for more than half of all work-related illnesses. Mental health issues cost business more than physical injuries such as back and other muscular problems. A recent report found that almost half of UK workers seem to be ‘running on empty,’ with burnout, mental ill health and work-related stress all noted as the cause. For those on long term sick leave, around 51% is due to stress, depression or anxiety.
The Health and Safety Executive now consider Mental Health should be part of a First Aid Needs Assessment in a workplace. It is now recommended that employers consider ways to support good mental health in the workplace, such as:
- Providing information or training for managers and employees;
- Employing occupational health professionals;
- Appointing mental health trained first aiders;
- Implementing and integrating employee wellbeing and support programmes.
It is with all of this in mind that we at the First Aid Training Co-operative (FATC) developed a new range of Mental Health First Aid courses to support the needs of our clients.
Developing our Mental Health First Aid courses.
The First Aid Training Co-operative has a great reputation delivering contextualised, practical hands on relevant physical first aid courses. We have now brought this practical approach to delivering mental health first aid training too. Our mental health first aid courses incorporate as much practical, scenario based activity as possible into the course programme.
Our courses have being developed in partnership with Changes East Lothian, a charity that aims to enable people to achieve and maintain good mental health and wellbeing through support groups, one-to-one therapy and wellbeing activities. Brian Glass from Changes has presented at two of our First Aid Conferences and we have built a great relationship which makes them our ideal partner in this new endeavour.
Our courses are backed up with our digital mental health first aid manual which will provide further support and act as a course refresher. Like all our digital manuals, it is available free to all course participants, and via our website shop. The manuals are designed to be downloaded onto your phone so they are always at hand.
Our range of mental health first aid courses:
Mental Health First Responder course, 2 days:
Equivalent to both the MHFA England and Scottish Mental Health First Aid (SMHFA) courses which are delivered in partnership with the English and Scottish NHS respectively. Our blended learning approach means that the first day is done online at your own pace, followed by a face to face day with a priority on scenario based learning. This is an assessed qualification with a certificate validity of 3 years. More information and course content.
Mental Health Awareness course, 1 day:
This is a single day of face to face learning. Gives an introduction to mental health issues, how to recognise early warning signs of mental health distress. This course is not assessed but covers a good range of relevant topics. More information and course content.
Mental Health First Aid courses specifically for outdoor practitioners, 1 day:
Most mental health training courses are designed to support you to deal with workplace issues, but as we know, not every workplace is the same. As outdoor practitioners we are often working with groups who are put into challenging situations where mental health issues can come to the fore.Â
In discussion with outdoor expedition leaders, Mountain Rescue Team members, Countryside Rangers, forest school practitioners, mountain and paddle guides, Scout and DofE Leaders, and many more, we have heard a huge range of different experiences of dealing with mental health issues within groups they have worked with.
This is a 1-day face-to-face course specifically for outdoor practitioners, to help them understand more about Mental Health issues and how to support individuals who might be suffering, need support or confide in them. More information and course content.
Intro to Mental Health First Aid / Annual Refresher, 3 hours online:
Suitable for those curious about Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) or an employer who wants their whole team to do some basic training in it. It is also aimed at those who have done a MHFA course and want to do an annual refresher to prevent skill fade. More information and course content.
Mental Health Course pricing:
Our Mental Health First Aid course pricing reflects the pricing model of our physical First Aid courses, and are in fact cheaper per person as we can take up to 16 candidates. That way, you know exactly what you’re paying, with no expenses or surprises, and hopefully means that these courses will be more affordable for all of our clients.
Want to learn more about Mental Health First Aid?
The First Aid Training Co-operative now runs a suite of private first aid courses that can be delivered at your choice of venue, at a time and date to suit you. We’ll come to you and tailor your course to suit your specific situation, based on one of the core course types that we have in our portfolio. Check out our full range of mental health first aid courses here.
