Mental Health First Aid Youth

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

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