Mental Health First Aid • Youth

Become a Youth Mental Health First Aider

2 days in person

Find out more

Delivered by
Peter Larkum

Award Winning
MHFA Instructor

This two day course qualifies you as a Youth Mental Health First Aider.

It gives you:

  • An in-depth understanding of young people’s mental health and factors that affect wellbeing
  • Practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues
  • Confidence to reassure and support a young person in distress
  • Enhanced interpersonal skills such as non-judgemental listening
  • Knowledge to help a young person recover their health by guiding them to further support – whether that’s through self-help sites, their place of learning, the NHS, or a mix – engaging with parents, carers and external agencies where appropriate
  • Ability to support a young person with a long term mental health issue or disability to thrive
  • Tools to look after your own mental wellbeing

More details

​Format

  • Online course: Coming soon

  • In person course: 4 sessions across 2 consecutive days

  • Learning takes place through a mix of presentations, group discussions, and workshop activities

  • Each session is built around a Mental Health First Aid action plan

  • We limit numbers to 16 people per course so that the instructor can keep people safe and supported while they learn

Takeaways

Everyone who completes the course gets:

  • A certificate of attendance to say you are a Youth Mental Health First Aider

  • A Youth MHFA manual to refer to whenever you need it

  • A workbook including some helpful tools to support your own mental health

“Peter was absolutely brilliant, particularly in an online environment, at holding our attention, being exceptionally engaging and for his exceptional knowledge and way of articulating the content. I’m really grateful that I was able to attend this course. I am so proud to now be a youth Mental Health First Aider.”
— 2020 online student

Course Structure

Session 1: Youth Mental Health First Aid

  • About Youth Mental Health First Aid

  • Context: England’s child health care policy

  • About mental health – facts and figures

    • Risk factors for mental ill health

    • Protective factors for mental health

    • Preventing mental health issues and promoting wellbeing

  • The Youth MHFA action plan: ALGEE

Session 2: Depression and anxiety

  • About depression – facts and figures

    • Signs and symptoms

    • Risk factors

  • About anxiety disorders – facts and figures

    • Signs and symptoms

    • Risk factors

  • The MHFA action plan for depression and anxiety: ALGEE

Session 3: Suicide and psychosis

  • About suicide

    • Risk factors and warning signs for suicide

    • First aid for suicidal crisis

  • About psychosis

    • Risk factors and warning signs of psychosis

    • Types of psychotic disorders

    • Crisis first aid for acute psychosis

    • The MHFA action plan for psychosis: ALGEE

Session 4: Self-harm and eating disorders

  • About self-harm – facts and figures

    1. Risk factors

    2. Signs and symptoms

    3. The MHFA action plan for self-harm: ALGEE

  • About eating disorders – facts and figures

    1. Different types of eating disorders

    2. The MHFA action plan for eating disorders: ALGEE

  • Recovery

 

Host Your Own

Make an enquiry to host your own in-house MHFA Youth Mental Health First Aider course, available in-person.

A minimum of 8 people are needed to run an in-house course.
Discounts are available for groups of 11 or more.

Alternatively, email hello@peterlakum.com directly.