What are Mental Health First Aid courses?
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) courses help to support employee mental health and those in distress, reduce stigma and create a positive workplace culture. Certified by Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England, Westfield Health’s online or in-person courses are designed to raise awareness and reduce the stigma around mental health and mental ill health. The courses will give your employees the knowledge and confidence to support someone who is experiencing mental distress.
In general, the role of a MHFAider in the workplace is to be a point of contact for an employee who is experiencing a mental health issue or emotional distress. This interaction could range from having an initial conversation through to supporting the individual to get appropriate help. In a crisis, MHFAiders are valuable in providing early support for someone who may be developing a mental health issue. MHFAiders are not trained to be therapists, psychiatrists or counsellors, but they can offer initial support through non-judgemental listening and guidance.
Mental Health First Aiders are trained to:
- Spot the early signs and symptoms of mental ill health.
- Start a supportive conversation with a colleague who may be
- experiencing a mental health issue or emotional distress.
- Listen to the person non-judgementally.
- Assess the risk of suicide or self-harm.
- Encourage the person to access appropriate professional support
- or self-help strategies.
- Escalate to the appropriate emergency services if necessary.
- Maintain confidentiality as appropriate.
- Complete critical incident documents as and when necessary.
- Protect themselves while performing their role.
Having dedicated MHFAiders can be beneficial to your business and your employees by helping them to feel supported at work.
Westfield Health offer a range of courses from in-person initial qualifications to online refresher and check-in sessions.
Learn more about the benefits and find the course that best suits your business here.
