Mental health first aid

It is very important to understand that after course completion you will not become a therapist or psychology professional. You will not be able to treat anyone who has ill mental health. 

Instead, your role is simply a supportive one, like the title suggests, you will be the first contact to those who possibly could have mental health related issues. You can wear a special mental health first aider badge or lanyard. So people at your workplace could recognise and approach you if they need your help as a mental health first aider.  

On the course, you will be taught how to give mental health first aid for different conditions like depression, self-harm, psychosis, suicidal crisis, anxiety disorder, etc. You will be equipped with a strategy and action plan called ALGEE. 

The ALGEE plan acronym stands for

• Approach the person, assess and assist with any crisis 
• Listen and communicate non-judgmentally 
• Give support and information 
• Encourage the person to get appropriate professional help
• Encourage other support

Remember your own mental health is always the priority. You choose to be a mental health first aider voluntarily.  If at any given time you feel that it can affect your own mental comfort and you don’t feel like supporting others, consider stepping down from a mental health first aider role. 

MHFA England is the only one accredited body in England. MHFA England have created mental health first aid training and various companies, including Siren,  are providing the MHFA England courses. The 2-day mental health first aid course qualifies you as mental health first aider. The training teaches how to spot symptoms and signs of ill mental health. You will feel more confident to approach and support someone in need while keeping yourself safe.  

If you want to become a mental health first aider you need to take a 2-day MHFA course (can be delivered over 4 days). You can choose an online course or face to face. Regardless of which option you choose you will receive the same certificate. 

When you book the course with Siren we will send you joining instructions. 

• The first thing you need to do is to register with MHFA England. It will allow us to send books on time and certificate after course completion. 
• Also, we will provide you with the Online Learning Hub access where you will be able to complete your activities – read, watch the video, answer questions etc. 
• You will meet your instructor 4 times, the live sessions with your trainer last 2 -2.5 hours. 
• And lastly, after self-directed learning and 4 online sessions you will receive an email from MHFA England, you will need to fill a short feedback form and in the end, you will be able to download your certificate.

We will try to explain it in a very simple way.

The MHFA England is an accredited body that trains trainers. Then various companies hire the trainers and deliver the courses.  Most likely you will get a very similar training and outcome whichever company you choose – we all use the same Online Learning Hub (a platform to deliver online courses) provided by the MHFA England. 

The same trainers (a trainer might work one week for us,  next week for another company). We carefully choose instructors who are providing Siren MHFA training courses. Most of the trainers have psychology/psychotherapy backgrounds. We thoroughly read our clients’ feedback, this way we were able to choose the best of the best trainers who work with us for years. We can proudly say that Siren is a leading provider of MHFA training. If you are not convinced simply check our reviews

All attendees receive MHFA England materials (manual and workbook, we deliver it to the attendee’s home).  You will get the same outcome whichever company you choose because we all follow MHFA England’s guidelines. 

We are all human beings before we are workers, and all of us have both physical and mental health. We know what can cause physical illness but we are not always aware of the reasons behind ill mental health. And when we see someone suffering mental health ill very often we don’t have right words or right actions to take, especially, in the workplace. It is very important  that all staff are aware of how to take care of their own mental health, as well as know how to support each other.

Positive mental health in the workplace not only helps your business goals, but also improves employee satisfaction and retention. Any mental health first aid courses can  improve wellbeing in the workplace. We highly recommend anyone interested in becoming a Mental Health First Aider attend the two day course, and implementing the one or half  day course for all of the employees in the organisation. The course will raise mental health awareness, start conversations in your workplace and teach employees to support each other. Additionally, the course will help you create an action plan for a positive climate in the workplace.

Recovering from mental ill health can vary amongst individuals, as does length of recovery. While some individuals respond quickly to treatment and recover quickly, recovery can often be episodic for others. Still others have a longer recovery journey which can involve medication, self-help, attending therapy. It is important for workplaces to support employees in their recovery, and the Mental Health First Aid courses are a great starting point to understand how to create inclusive environments for people in recovery.

We recommend having as many mental health first aiders in the workplace as you have physical first aiders.

Mental health first aid course is particularly recommended for line managers and their teams for several reasons:

•  You will be able to create a healthier environment in your workplace for your team.
•  To spot an employee suffering from mental health issue and support them at work
• And prevent further mental health illness development
• Finally, you will be able to maintain your own mental health and wellbeing.