What Does Mental Health First Aid Training Involve?
You most likely know about first aid training, in which you learn how to treat injuries and perform CPR. It is equally important for someone to take a mental health first aid (MHFA) course in the same way they would take a first aid course. Here, we’ll discuss all MHFA and what you can learn by enrolling in an MHFA course.
What Is Meant by Mental Health First Aid?
The goal of mental health first aid is to help someone experiencing mental health issues, someone with rapidly deteriorating mental health or someone facing a mental health crisis. The person can receive this first aid until they receive appropriate professional treatment.
What You’ll Learn from an MHFA Course
An MHFA course teaches you how to respond to various situations concerning mental health, such as when a person experiences a panic attack, drug or alcohol withdrawal or trauma.
Those who take the course can expect to learn the following:
De-escalating a tense situation
A crisis can be effectively handled by remaining calm. When you are in a frenzy, it can be difficult to help someone experiencing panic attacks, hallucinations or acute trauma.
With mental health first aid training, your communication skills can be developed. These include nonverbal and verbal skills, such as knowing what to say and the right words to use.
Developing a better understanding of various mental health problems
Mental health problems can only be diagnosed by a medical professional. However, observing changes in attitudes, behaviours, habits, and personalities can be learned. These changes may indicate mental health issues.
Through a mental health first aid course, you’ll uncover the causes, symptoms and risk factors of mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, substance use, schizophrenia and more.
Assessing the risk of self-harm
Depression or another mental health condition may increase the risk of self-harm. Awareness of warning signs through attending an MHFA course can make you more informed, enabling you to assess the risk better. This way, you can point someone in the right direction and resources.
Learning techniques for coping
Stress management relies heavily on self-care and coping techniques. People who regularly struggle with mental health issues can use these techniques to increase resilience and calm themselves. By utilising these techniques, symptoms can be addressed before they become too overwhelming.
Assisting with next steps and follow-up
Mental health first aid involves referring people to professionals who can offer the most appropriate treatment for their condition. Based on an individual’s symptoms or concerns, you might suggest health care professionals, such as a physician, counsellor, therapist, psychiatric professional or specialist in peer support.
No one can be forced to seek treatment, but mental health first aid training will prepare you to encourage people to seek assistance.
Practising ALGEE
During the training course, a key takeaway is the ALGEE first-aid procedure. ALGEE stands for assessing for risk of harm or suicide, Listening non-judgementally, Giving information and reassurance, and Encouraging professional help and self-help. At times when a person is struggling, ALGEE can serve as a guide for how to proceed.
Learn Mental Health First Aid
If you’re looking for MHFA England courses, look no further than EDP Training. We offer individual, group and workplace training courses. Aside from workplace mental health training, we also provide an anti-racism course. To learn more, contact us now.
