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Mental Health First Aid training
For: Everyone. In particular, anyone with an interest in mental health with a desire to support colleagues in a work setting or in their community.
Training duration: Full day (6 hours with breaks)
This course offers a warm, practical introduction to understanding and supporting people experiencing mental health challenges. Participants will learn how to recognise early signs of distress, approach conversations with confidence and offer calm, non-judgmental support.
This course explores common mental health conditions, builds essential listening and communication skills, and highlights the wide range of professional and community support available across the UK. It also emphasises personal wellbeing – how to look after yourself while supporting others.
The course emphasises that Mental Health First Aiders are not therapists; instead, they act as a calm, informed point of contact who can guide someone toward the right support.
Participants will leave feeling informed, empowered and ready to make a positive difference in their workplace or community.
Learning objectives
- Understand what mental health really means, challenge common myths, how stigma affects people's willingness to seek help, and reflect on participants' own attitudes to mental health.
- Learn to spot the early signs that someone may be struggling, such as changes in behaviour, mood, communication or physical presentation.
- Through guided discussion and real-world examples, learn to recognise when something might be wrong and how to approach someone sensitively without judgment.
- Learn how to develop a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) action plan, a simple framework that guides people through supportive conversations.
- Practice how to listen with empathy and encourage someone to access appropriate support.
- Learn about common mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, psychosis, and substance misuse. Rather than focusing on diagnosis, we'll focus on understanding experiences, reducing fear and increasing confidence in responding compassionately. We'll explore crisis situations, such as panic attacks, in a way to help participants stay grounded and supportive while keeping themselves safe.
- Develop communication skills – how to listen well and maintain healthy boundaries.
- Learn about the wide range of support options available in the UK, from NHS services to community organisations.
- Understand the importance of self-care and how to create a personal plan to protect participants' own wellbeing.
By the end, participants leave with a deeper understanding of mental health, a practical toolkit for offering support, and the confidence to step in when someone needs help.
Jo is an incredible trainer, who combines her in-depth psychological knowledge with an easily accessible training style. I liked that the training also gave us the opportunity to think about and share practical ways to apply this knowledge in our services – I learned so much from the other participants."
I really enjoyed the training and approach taken. I learned a lot and liked all the opportunities for reflection and group discussion. I work with researchers so not participants directly, but I hope to bring this idea of giving participants control, alternatives and choices to my conversations with researchers and my own future research practice."
I understand more about the complexities of the concept of trauma at biopsychosocial level. For example, the window tolerance was really useful. It highlighted how many warning signs of vicarious trauma I have/am experiencing. I plan to try to address 'failure to nurture' non-work aspects of life!"
I had no previous experience or understanding of trauma-informed approaches so found this training really informative. I'll be taking the ideas from the training back to my team and continue to champion lived experience."
Contact us
If you are interested in our Vicarious Trauma training or any of our other training modules, please complete the enquiry form below and a member of our training team will be in touch shortly.