Youth Mental Health First Aid

Record levels of young people are experiencing academic pressure, bullying, poverty, social media pressure and socialisation challenges, particularly give the past two years living during a pandemic.

Learn to support young people

Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) courses are for everyone who works with, lives with or supports young people aged 8-18. They will teach you the skills and confidence to spot the signs of mental health issues in a young person, offer first aid and guide them towards the support they need. In doing so, you can speed up a young person’s recovery and stop a mental health issue from getting worse.

Do you want to develop your knowledge and skills in youth mental health?

Would you like to gain confidence in spotting signs and symptoms?

This online course trains you as a Youth Mental Health First Aider, giving 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 ​

Format

  • This is an online course delivered through the MHFA England Online Learning Hub

  • Learning takes place through four live training sessions spread across one to two weeks, with self-learning activities in between. See course structure section below for more detail 

  • Each session is built around a Youth 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 

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

 

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

     

    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

     

    Self-harm and eating disorders

    • About self-harm – facts and figures

    • Risk factors

    • Signs and symptoms

    • The MHFA action plan for self-harm: ALGEE

    • About eating disorders – facts and figures

    • Different types of eating disorders

    • The MHFA action plan for eating disorders: ALGEE

    • Recovery

     

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