Mental health first aid
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We're delighted to be able to offer mental health first aid training within the county.
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“I feel like I have a good understanding and more knowledge on mental health. Very good training and instructor – I will recommend the course to others.”
What is mental health first aid?
Mental health first aid (MHFA) is an internationally recognised training course which teaches people how to spot the signs and symptoms of mental ill health and provide help on a first aid basis.
MHFA England training won’t teach you to be a therapist, but just like physical first aid, it will teach you to listen, reassure and respond, even in a crisis.
Girlguiding Gloucestershire’s MHFA courses are for volunteers aged 18 upwards. Every MHFA England course is delivered by a quality assured instructor member who has attended the MHFA England instructor training programme accredited by the Royal Society for Public Health, and is trained to keep people safe and supported while they learn.
We have put together the terms of reference below to help you understand the MHFAider role and whether it's right for you.
MHFA England training won’t teach you to be a therapist, but just like physical first aid, it will teach you to listen, reassure and respond, even in a crisis.
Girlguiding Gloucestershire’s MHFA courses are for volunteers aged 18 upwards. Every MHFA England course is delivered by a quality assured instructor member who has attended the MHFA England instructor training programme accredited by the Royal Society for Public Health, and is trained to keep people safe and supported while they learn.
We have put together the terms of reference below to help you understand the MHFAider role and whether it's right for you.
Becoming a mental health first aider
This course trains you as a mental health first aider, giving you:
- An in-depth understanding of mental health and the factors that can affect wellbeing.
- Practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues.
- Confidence to step in, reassure and support a person in distress.
- Enhanced interpersonal skills such as non-judgemental listening.
- Knowledge to help someone recover their health by guiding them to further support - whether that’s self-help resources, through their employer, the NHS, or a mix.
The course
Training can take place face to face or virtually as follows:
- Learning takes place through a mix of group activities, presentations and discussions. See course structure section below for full detail.
- Each session is built around a mental health first aid action plan.
- We limit numbers to 16 people per course so that the instructors can keep people safe and supported while they learn.
- Learners must attend the full course (both days or all four half days/virtual sessions) to complete the course.
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Face to face
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Virtual
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Takeaways
Everyone who completes the course gets:
- A certificate of attendance to say you are a mental health first aider.
- A virtual manual to refer to whenever you need it.
- A quick reference card for the mental health first aid action plan.
- A workbook including a helpful toolkit to support your own mental health.
- A MHFA England lanyard.
Accessibility
- Course materials are available in large print. Please indicate if you need this version during the booking process.
- Closed captions are available during the virtual sessions.
BadgesEveryone attending the course will be given a Mental Health First Aider badger which they can wear on their uniform.
If you completed this course elsewhere and were not given a badge, they can be purchased through the learning & development team. Please email us for the latest prices. You will need to show you have completed the course by showing your certificate. |
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Book a MHFA course
All our Mental Health First Aid courses can be booked via our training bookings page.
The value of this course is £325 per person. Many of our volunteers becoming mental health first aiders will be able to take their learning into their workplaces and personal lives, as well as using their skills within their guiding.
However, our instructors are Girlguiding volunteers and believe that our organisation should be able to benefit from this amazing training. They therefore giving their time for free so that the cost to the county for this course is just £70 per person. In addition, the county have secured funding, bringing the price to you to just £25 per person. This is a valid unit expense.
The value of this course is £325 per person. Many of our volunteers becoming mental health first aiders will be able to take their learning into their workplaces and personal lives, as well as using their skills within their guiding.
However, our instructors are Girlguiding volunteers and believe that our organisation should be able to benefit from this amazing training. They therefore giving their time for free so that the cost to the county for this course is just £70 per person. In addition, the county have secured funding, bringing the price to you to just £25 per person. This is a valid unit expense.
Support in your role as a MHFAider
At the MHFA course in November 2022, we talked about the desire from learners to continue to connect with one another beyond the 2 day course, to be able to offer each other support when they had put their new skills to use, and so on. Taking feedback from this discussion, we have created our own GG Glos MHFAiders® Facebook group.
This Facebook group is a closed community for those who are qualified MHFAiders® who have completed the mental health first aid course (or its predecessor, the adult mental health first aid course) from MHFA England. Members of this group may have completed the course via one of the county delivered courses, or via their own workplace, etc. but they must show they have a current valid certificate to join. A certificate is valid for three years from the date of completion.
This Facebook group is a closed community for those who are qualified MHFAiders® who have completed the mental health first aid course (or its predecessor, the adult mental health first aid course) from MHFA England. Members of this group may have completed the course via one of the county delivered courses, or via their own workplace, etc. but they must show they have a current valid certificate to join. A certificate is valid for three years from the date of completion.
