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Mental Health First Aider (Online)

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Become a certified
Mental Health First Aider online

Certified through MHFA England • Instruction by Peter Larkum •  2-week online course
This is the online equivalent course to the in-person Adult MHFA 2 Day.


Price
£360 (£300 + VAT)

Registration deadline
Thu 18 Feb, noon

Live sessions
Tue 23 Feb
Fri 26 Feb
Tue 2 Mar
Fri 5 Mar


Identify, understand, and help

Mental Health First Aid Online is an educational course which teaches people how to identify, understand and help a person who may be developing a mental health issue. In the same way as we learn physical first aid, Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to recognise those crucial warning signs of mental ill health.


Structure

This 2-week online course starts on Sat 20 Feb (to give you time to complete the self-learning activities before our first live session on Tue 23 Feb) and concludes Fri 5 Mar. There are…

  • 4 live sessions with Peter (3 hours each)

  • Self-learning activities to complete before each live session

  • A physical manual and workbook (shipped to your address)

Online live sessions

  1. Tue 23 Feb, 9am – 12pm

  2. Fri 26 Feb, 9am – 12pm

  3. Tue 2 Mar, 9am – 12pm

  4. Fri 5 Mar, 9am – 12pm

Live sessions with Peter are conducted over a password-protected private meeting on Enabley and built around a Mental Health First Aid action plan.

Self-learning activities

Before each live session with Peter, we provide self-learning activities from a workbook to complete.

You will have access to start the first self-learning activities 4 days before the first live session. They can be done at your own pace, in your own time, so long as you’re complete before the next live session.

Course materials are shipped to your address in advance.

Find more details of the course outline below.

Course numbers

Due to some of the sensitive subjects within the MHFA courses, including suicide, we limit numbers to 16 people. We want everyone to feel safe and Peter can help if anyone finds some bits particularly difficult.


You'll learn how to…

  • Spot the early signs of a mental health problem

  • Feel confident helping someone experiencing a mental health problem

  • Provide help on a first aid basis

  • Help prevent someone from hurting themselves or others

  • Help stop a mental illness from getting worse

  • Help someone recover faster

  • Guide someone towards the right support

  • Reduce the stigma of mental health problems

By the end of the course, you’ll have…

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

  • A 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

What's the course like?

The course is a mix of online presentation and group discussions with self-learning activities guided by a physical course handbook.

We provide a very safe learning environment and are trained to support you throughout the whole course. If you don't feel comfortable joining in certain bits, then don't, we won't make you do something you aren't comfortable with.


Delivered by award-winning MHFA instructor Peter Larkum

Peter has been delivering the MHFA courses for over 10 years and has trained tens of thousands of delegates across all sectors. Awarded for ‘Excellence in Training’ Peter carries his energetic, engaging and empathetic delivery into his online presentation style.

Clients delivered to include:

Cisco • Ministry of Defence  • Oxfam  • WHSmith  • BBC  • Network Rail  • Aviva  • Oxford University  • British Gas  • YMCA  • The NHS  • Hampshire County Council  • Princes Trust


Course outline

Section 1

Individual self-learning (1 hour)

  • Introduction to the Online Mental Health First Aid course and the Online Learning Hub (course overview, safety procedure, attending live sessions, and completing individual learning activities)

  • Activity 1: Why Mental Health First Aid?

  • Activity 2: The Mental Health First Aid action plan

  • Activity 3: What is mental health?

  • Activity 4: Quiz: Impact of mental health

Live session #1

  • Introduction to course functions

  • Introduction to the course

  • ALGEE and mental health introduction recap

  • Stigma

  • Risk and protective factors

10 minute break

  • Frame of Reference

  • The Mental Health Continuum

  • Introduction to the Stress Container

Section 2

Individual self-learning (2 hours)

  • Activity 5: Stress Container

  • Activity 6: Frame of Reference

  • Activity 7: What is depression?

  • Activity 8: Risk factors for depression

  • Activity 9: Mental Health First Aid for depression

  • Activity 10: Introduction to suicide

Live session #2

  • Recap of individual learning on depression

  • Prevalence of suicide

  • Suicide, substance misuse and dual diagnosis

  • Analyse the impact of suicidal feelings

  • Recap of ALGEE and risk factors for suicide

  • Explain Mental Health First Aid action plan 1 for suicide

10 minute break

  • Explain non-judgemental listening, Empathy video

  • Practice using ALGEE in case study scenarios

  • Review of ALGEE for suicide and depression

  • Self-care

Section 3

Individual self-learning (2 hours)

  • Activity 11: What is anxiety?

  • Activity 12: Mental Health First Aid for anxiety

  • Activity 13: What are eating disorders?

  • Activity 14: Mental Health First Aid for eating disorders

  • Activity 15: What is self-harm?

  • Activity 16: Mental Health First Aid for self-harm

  • Activity 17: What are personality disorders?

Live session #3

  • Recap of individual learning of anxiety

  • Recap of the five basic steps of ALGEE for anxiety

  • Explain action 1 for anxiety

  • How to support someone who is having a panic attack

  • Explain crisis first aid

  • Practice action 2: non-judgemental listening

10 minute break

  • Practice applying the Mental Health First Aid action plan for anxiety

  • Recap of ALGEE for anxiety

  • Explain cognitive behavioural therapy

  • Recap of eating disorders and self-harm

  • Case study for eating disorders and self-harm

  • Review ALGEE for eating disorders and self-harm

Section 4

Individual self-learning (2 hours)

  • Activity 18: What are psychosis, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder?

  • Activity 19: Risk factors for psychosis

  • Activity 20: Mental Health First Aid for psychosis

  • Activity 21: Helpful and unhelpful responses

  • Workbook Activity 10: My action plan for using Mental Health First Aid (completed after live session)

Live session #4

  • Review of individual learning on psychosis

  • Explain the development of symptoms of psychosis

  • Review the five steps of ALGEE for psychosis

  • Group discussion about MHFA Australia psychosis video

  • Case study activity using Mental Health First Aid action plan for psychosis

10 minute break

  • Recovery

  • Explore how to build a mentally healthy workplace

  • Start action plan to use Mental Health First Aid

  • Feedback

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23 February

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