Mental Health First Aid Course
Train as a Mental Health First Aider (MHFAider®) and receive three years of certification, plus access to ongoing benefits.
This course is ideal for individuals who would like to become an MHFAider® to gain the knowledge and skills to spot signs of people experiencing poor mental health, be confident to start a conversation and signpost a person to appropriate support.
In addition to the course, you will become part of the largest MHFAider® community in England, gaining access to resources, ongoing learning and 24/7 digital support through our MHFAider Support App®, to give you the tools and knowledge you need to carry out the role effectively and confidently, whether that be in your workplace, a volunteer role, or in the community.
Choose between our upcoming courses dates, which include 4 half day morning sessions:
April 15th including 16th 17th 18th
Course Outcomes
As an MHFAider® you will be able to:
- Recognise those that may be experiencing poor mental health and provide them with first-level support and early intervention
- Encourage a person to identify and access sources of professional help and other supports
- Practise active listening and empathy
- Have a conversation with improved mental health literacy around language and stigma
- Discuss the MHFAider® role in depth, including boundaries and confidentiality
- Practise self-care
- Know how to use the MHFAider Support App®
- Know how to access a dedicated text service provided by Shout and ongoing learning opportunities with MHFA England
Course Format
- Online course structured across four flexible sessions. Each session is a maximum of 3hrs 45mins
- Learners will be trained over four live sessions with an MHFA England Instructor Member, covering 14 hours of content in total.
- Learning takes place through a mix of instructor led training, group discussions, individual and group activities.
- Each session builds on the previous, enabling the learner to gain confidence in supporting others with a Mental Health First Aid action plan.
- We limit numbers to 16 people per course so that instructors can keep people safe and supported while they learn.
We strive for all of our learning content to be as accessible and inclusive as possible.
Course Takeaways
Everyone who completes this course gets:
- A hard copy workbook to support their learning throughout the course
- A digital manual to refer to whenever they need it after completing the course
- A wallet-sized reference card with the Mental Health First Aid action plan
- A digital MHFAider® certificate
- Access to the MHFAider Support App® for three years
- Access to ongoing learning opportunities, resources and exclusive events
- The opportunity to be part of the largest MHFAider® community in England
Becoming a qualified MHFAider®
Once you complete the Mental Health First Aid course, you can test your knowledge and build your confidence in your role as an MHFAider® with the internationally recognised MHFAider® qualification, RSPH Level 3 Award in Mental Health First Aid.
Meet your trainers
Meet our dedicated and experienced tutors, Dee Walsh and Clair Rose. No matter which tutor you’re paired with, you’re in capable hands. They’re both here to guide you through this learning journey, fostering an open dialogue about mental health and tackling stigma head-on. So, let’s get started. Your tutors can’t wait to meet you!
Dee Walsh
My name is Dee Walsh, I have a background in HR, training and volunteer counselling.
More importantly, in both my professional and personal life, I have supported many people through stress, anxiety and depression as well as the more serious conditions of bipolar and schizophrenia, I have also supported individuals with the ultimate mental health crisis, from feeling and being actively suicidal, through to recovery and positive mental health.
My life changing moment came in 2017, when I realised that in many cases the people, I was supporting had already experienced preventable distress by that point.
My real passion is for the prevention of mental ill health improving mental wellbeing for individuals and in businesses across the UK.
Clair Rose
Having worked in the Luxury Retail industry for 25 years working within and managing many Teams, I was often the “Person to Talk to at Work” but I wasn’t always sure I was saying the right things.
In 2019, I decided to train as an MHFA instructor to develop my own skills as well as broaden my own understanding.
I have since gone onto train Hundreds of people successfully, receiving excellent feedback which is mainly due to my relaxed delivery style around tricky subjects, as well as not ashamed to share my own lived experience of Depression and anxiety.
I am passionate about delivering Mental Health First Aid training and reducing the stigma one person at a time.
What our clients say
Dee delivered the course with quiet confidence and technical competence, whilst also bringing a huge dose of empathy to the proceedings. Some of the topics are hard to work through and she gave us the support we needed to work together as a team. It made me realise how prevalent mental health issues are .. and has provided an understanding of the subject that will enable me to be a better line manager and to know how to better look after my own mental health. An excellent course expertly delivered.
The course was run both professionally and constructively. There was good agenda structure and the opportunity to discuss all matters openly and in confidence at all times. The group were amazing, and participation was informative and fun too even humorous at times with the mix of participants- loved it and will recommend where possible.
Very well structured and very well delivered, tailored on the day to fit the audience so some aspects were covered more and some less so as this wasn’t corporate setting. The consideration of how the topic may affect the people in the room – given a warning, clear guidance if you are overwhelmed and knowing someone will follow you to check you are OK, the breaks during difficult topics and the debrief and also discussing positive experiences, really well structured and really well delivered. Felt welcomed, loved my gift bag!