New, improved MHFA course

I’m very excited to tell you how the MHFA course has been updated & revamped for 2023!

The Key Messages about the freshly updated Mental Health First Aid training are that MHFAiders® gain: 

1. Knowledge & skills to spot early signs of poor mental health
2. Confidence to start a conversation
3. Tools to signpost options for appropriate support

MHFA England’s training :

• is grounded in research,
  has an inclusive lens,
  includes input from people with lived experience,
  is developed through collaboration with clinical practitioners, learners & workplaces

• Our training is proven to increase MHFAiders® confidence to support people experiencing poor mental health

• After initial certification, we provide continuous support for MHFAiders® so that people are confident, empowered & motivated to carry out the role

MHFAiders® get 24/7 digital support though the MHFAiders Support App providing:

• Exclusive resources
• Ongoing learning opportunities
• Community of trained MHFAiders®

The online course and the face-to-face courses content and timings are now aligned, which gives you an easier choice of which delivery of the training would suit you and your organisation best. The face-to-face training takes place over 2 days & the online training is split into four half day sessions, over a 2 week period. There is no longer self-study to complete as part of the online course delivery.

Case studies continue to be integral part of the course to provide discussion, opportunities for questions and confidence, as we learn together. 

New examples & demonstrations

We have introduced examples and demonstrations of MHFAiders® supporting people in various settings, which has been very well received by learners.

This is part of developing the course to be much more practical and usable, immediately upon completion. We also have an increased focus on the MHFAider® role, conversation practice & boundaries. 

We have less focus and spend less time on detailed knowledge around conditions and their diagnosis, because we don’t diagnose as a MHFAider®.

This means that our MHFAiders® are still able to spot the early signs of poor mental health & feel even more confident to have a supportive conversation and help someone find helpful support, whether professional or not.

Helpful language to boost confidence

We have also included helpful language updates to empower our MHFAiders® to start difficult conversations with increased confidence. Most learners find this incredibly eye opening & enlightening. As a result, they feel more confident & empowered when talking to someone about mental health. Using helpful language builds safety & trust in an approach, especially initially, so that someone feels they can talk safely in confidence to a MHFAider®.

Fantastic feedback so far

Feedback has been great so far and I’ve certainly enjoyed delivering this much more practical and MHFAider® focused course. We cover self-care more and boundaries, which many learners previously had questions about. The simple exercise and discussion in the new course leaves people feeling clear and confident of where boundaries lie for their new role.

Get in touch

If this has perked your interest and you’d like to know more, please email chinwag@AndyElwood.com and we can set up a call to answer your queries and provide more clarity. I look forward to speaking to you & hearing about your organisation’s specific needs or challenges to support your people. MHFA training has been around for over 20 years & is in 25 countries worldwide with over 4 million people are trained.