MHFA Essentials

Course Overview

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) provides the knowledge, skills, and attitudes for participants to recognize changes in mental health, respond supportively, and apply practical actions for declining mental health and crisis situations. It helps participants build confidence, reduce stigma, and enhance their own mental health.

Objectives

The MHFA course helps participants:

• Increase their awareness of mental health
  • Distinguish between mental health, mental illness, and mental health conditions.
  • Recognize indicators of mental health across the continuum (optimal, declining, poor).
• Improve their confidence to provide help
  • Apply the ALGES framework in scenarios of declining mental health and crisis.
  • Demonstrate empathy and effective listening skills in supportive interactions.
  • Communicate non-judgmentally using verbal and non-verbal skills.
  • Provide reassurance and appropriate information in supportive conversations.
  • Explain recovery-oriented approaches to providing support.
• Decrease their mental health-related stigma
  • Recognize stigmatizing language and practice respectful alternatives.
  • Reflect on personal attitudes and biases that contribute to stigma.
  • Understand risks and limitations associated with diagnostic labeling.
• Enhance their mental health
  • Identify personal self-care strategies using the Three Pillars of Self-Care: reflective, purposeful, and boundaries.
  • Recognize when self-care is needed as a Mental Health First Aiders and how to integrate it into daily life.
  • Commit to intentional self-care actions to maintain personal well-being as a Mental Health First Aider.

Course Structure

1. Welcome and Introductions
2. Goals of Mental Health First Aid
3. What is Mental Health?
4. Elements of ALGES
5. Mental Health First Aid for Declining Mental Health
6. Self-Care for Mental Health First Aiders
7. MHFA for Crisis Situations
8. Wrap-up and Closing