A Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) course will set out what you need to do in a crisis until help arrives and where to find professional help.
A mental health crisis can include: panic attacks, experiencing withdrawal, feeling suicidal, reacting to relationship issues, having a psychotic episode, or a mix of these symptoms.
If you have a friend, family member or close colleague who has a mental illness, it is a good idea to sign up for an MHFA course.
As well as the standard MHFA training course, there is a range of tailored mental health first aid courses that cater to specific age groups, careers and cultural backgrounds.
Visit the MHFA website to find a mental health first aid course instructor in your local area.
Finding yourself in a mental health emergency can be an overwhelming and stressful experience. Unless you are familiar with the symptoms of mental illness and addiction, it may be difficult to know what a person in distress needs and what will make things worse.
A Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) course will set out what you need to do in a crisis until help arrives. You will learn about the early warning signs of mental illness, how to communicate well, and where to find professional mental health help in your local community.
Learning about mental health
When someone is having a mental health crisis, they could be having a panic attack, experiencing withdrawal, feeling suicidal, reacting to relationship issues, having a psychotic episode, or a mix of these symptoms. An MHFA course can provide you with a basic understanding of the different kinds of mental illness and their associated symptoms.
In an MHFA training course you will learn about mental health problems and disorders, including:
depression
mood disorders
substance abuse disorders
trauma
anxiety disorders
psychosis.
MHFA courses also cover how to deal with the following mental health crisis situations:
traumatic events
panic attacks
suicidal thoughts and behaviours
severe psychotic states
self-harm
effects of drug or alcohol abuse
aggressive behaviour.
The ALGEE action plan
All MHFA courses will teach you how to provide mental health first aid by using the ALGEE action plan.
The ALGEE action plan is:
Approach, assess and assist with any crisis - assess the risk of suicide or harm and look for signs of trauma and high anxiety.
Listen to the person non-judgmentally.
Give the person reassurance, support and information.
Encourage the person to seek appropriate professional help.
Encourage the person to seek self-help and other support strategies.
Unlike other emergency action plans, the tasks that make up the ALGEE action plan DO NOT have to be done in sequence. You can assess the risks, give reassurance and listen without judgement, all at the same time.
Who should attend an MHFA course?
It is better to know what to do and not need to use your knowledge than to get caught in a difficult situation unprepared. If you have a friend, family member or close colleague who has a mental illness, it is a good idea to sign up for a mental health first aid training course. The MHFA courses are also a good idea for anyone who works in human services.
Human service roles include:
social workers
managers
human resource officers
welfare officers
prison officers
teachers
TAFE and university lecturers
police officers
youth workers
Aboriginal health workers
nurses
lawyers
allied healthcare professionals
counsellors.
Available mental health first aid courses
As well as the standard MHFA course, there is a range of tailored mental health first aid training courses that cater to specific age groups, careers and cultural backgrounds. Courses include:
nursing students
medical students
financial counsellors
youth
teens
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
Vietnamese.
Visit the MHFA websiteto read more about the various courses on offer.
Find a course
All courses are run by independent instructors that are trained and accredited by the MHFA. MHFA does not coordinate the courses themselves.
Visit the MHFA website to find a course instructor in your local area.
eLearning
eLearning is currently only available to nursing students and recent nursing graduates (within the last two years). The nursing course is an online version of the 13-hour Standard Mental Health First Aid Course for Nursing Students. More online courses are planned.
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