MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID (MHFA) – This twelve-hour course was originally developed at the University of Melbourne in Australia. It teaches people how to recognise the symptoms of mental illness, how to provide initial support and how to go about guiding a person towards appropriate help. The aims of the course are to: preserve life where a person may be a danger to themselves or others; provide help to prevent the mental heath problem developing into a more serious state; promote recovery of good mental health; and provide comfort to a person suffering a mental illness.
We have now developed a three-hour INTRODUCTION TO MENTAL HEALTH (IMH) Course. This course does not provide the depth and breadth of mental health training that MHFA does. Nonetheless, it will ensure employees or volunteers have an awareness of issues of mental health and related stigma. This three-hour course prepares anyone working with people to be aware of the context of mental health, the misinformation surrounding mental health and common mental illnesses. This short course aims to raise the capability of those dealing with vulnerable people and to provide correct information. It does not create experts but ensures that participants know how to enlist professional support.
YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID (Youth MHFA) - There is widespread ignorance of mental ill health amongst those working with vulnerable young people. This is often accompanied by associated stigma. For some, the stigma can lead to delays in young people seeking help and support. There is also a lack of confidence in what to do if a young person is distressed or in a crisis situation. The twelve-hour Youth MHFA course is a response to this with the aim of improving mental health literacy throughout schools, VI Form Colleges, institutions of higher education and youth clubs, with the belief that mental health crises, such as suicidal and self harming actions, can often be avoided with early intervention.
INTRODUCTION TO YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH (three-hour) - Again, this is a course we have created which will be available from the Spring of 2011 and has been developed in response to demand from staff working with young people. It is particularly appropriate for those working in Secondary Schools (ages 11-18 years), VI form colleges, Further and Higher Education or Youth Groups.
APPLIED SUICIDE INTERVENTION SKILLS TRAINING (ASIST) – This is a two day course of suicide first aid training for both formal and informal carers. This excellent training package was created by LivingWorks Education in Canada which has been providing evidence-based training programmes for over twenty years. Their Suicide Intervention Model (SIM) has made a major contribution to suicide prevention around the world.
SAFETALK – This is a half-day introduction to suicide intervention. The ‘SAFE’ in SafeTalk stands for “suicide alertness for everyone”. The course encourages general awareness of behaviour that might lead to suicide. Up to thirty people per course develop their understanding and confidence to become ‘suicide alert’. |
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