Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Training

Why is workplace mental health important?

Over the past few years, it has become increasingly recognised that workplace mental health is not only important for individual employees, but is also key to the success of workplaces as a whole.

In addition to fulfilling the ethical and legal responsibilities of providing a safe working environment, a mentally healthy workplace fosters staff satisfaction, engagement, and productivity.

Conversely, unresolved mental health issues can impair concentration, decision-making, and creativity, directly impacting job performance, and ultimately lead to long-term sickness absence.

So, by creating an fostering an open and supportive atmosphere, where employees feel comfortable seeking help regarding mental wellbeing, organisations can enhance productivity and reduce absenteeism, contributing to a stable and consistent workforce.

Consequently, corporate culture can be significantly shaped by the organisation’s approach to mental health, impacting collaboration, innovation, and employee morale. Indeed, employee retention and recruitment are positively influenced by a commitment to mental health, as organisations promoting well-being become attractive employers.

Prioritising workplace mental health is therefore not only the morally right thing to do for employees, but also a strategic investment for a business that can offer a significant return (ROI) with respect to its bottom-line. Which means that the sooner you start investing in it, the sooner you can start reaping the benefits.

What is Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)?

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an accredited training program designed to teach individuals how to help someone who is experiencing a mental health crisis or developing a mental health problem. The goal is to provide initial support until appropriate professional help is received or until the crisis is resolved.

The training covers a range of mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, and psychosis. Participants learn how to recognise the signs and symptoms of mental health problems, provide initial assistance, and guide individuals to appropriate resources.

Unlike other more general workplace wellbeing initiatives, MHFA is evidence-based, such that both its initial design and ongoing effectiveness are backed by an extensive array of academic research.

Who is MHFA training for?

The short answer is: anyone! Mental Health First Aid is a valuable life skill which can be used in both professional and personal settings.

No prior medical or mental health knowledge is required to complete MHFA training.

We offer a number of MHFA course types, pitched at a range of depths suiting different roles within the workplace.

Whilst our full two-day MHFAider® course, is ideal for those with responsibility for others, such as line-managers, team leaders, and HR professionals, our one-day MHFA Champion course provides an effective overview of Mental Health First Aid suitable for the general workforce.

Who are MHFA England?

The Mental Health First Aid programme began in Australia in 2000, and has since expanded globally. To date, over 6 million people worldwide have been trained by 67,000 instructors from 30 licensed MHFA providers, such as MHFA England, across 29 countries.

Mental Health First Aid training first came to England in 2007, when the Department of Health: National Institute of Mental Health in England (NIMHE) developed and launched the programme as part of a national approach to improve public mental health.

There are now over half a million MHFAiders® in England, within more than 20,000 organisations.

MHFA England is a social enterprise, that is a company where the main objective is to have a social impact, rather than make a profit for its owners or shareholders.

Where do we fit in to the MHFA training programme?

Although responsible for developing and overseeing its Mental Health First Aid programme, MHFA England doesn’t actually deliver the training itself. Instead, it relies on a network of accredited Instructor Members to do so on its behalf.

And that’s us!

All our MHFA instructors are qualified and experienced professional trainers who have also successfully completed the MHFA England Instructor Training programme, which is accredited by the Royal Society for Public Health. 

And they’ve delivered over 3,000 hours of mental health training since 2021, both classroom-based and online, so they know what they are doing MHFA-wise!

So, if you’re currently weighing up which MHFA training provider to go with, just check out why we think we’re a good choice for MHFA training and what our previous MHFA delegates have to say about us!

Is MHFA training all that needs to be done for employee wellbeing?

MHFA training is an important part of a company’s wellbeing strategy but it’s not a standalone solution. Other initiatives and benefits should be provided to create a more supportive workplace environment. These could include offering professional support through an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), flexible working arrangements, fitness or mindfulness sessions, awareness training, social events, and more.

And this is where we can provide somewhat more than the typical MHFA training provider.

Since we are also an HR consultancy, we have a huge amount of experience in actually dealing with the practical consequences of poor mental health in the workplace, such as managing excessive absence, long term sickness, risk to the business, and the like.

Likewise, we understand how problematic organisational values and culture can often be the underlying cause of poor employee mental health in the first place, and know what needs to be done to address this.

This means we’re able to offer a much more joined-up ‘big picture’ solution to workplace wellbeing than the typical provider, one which will actually makes a real difference to your business bottom-line, rather than simply ending up as the ineffective tick-box exercise of just sending everyone on a course.