Become a Youth Mental Health First Aider

Online Course

Overview

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
  • I 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 receives:

  • 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
MHFA England logo
“Lauren’s Training was Phenomenal. She puts her Heart and Soul into it and comes from a really connected place. You can really notice the difference in Delivery when someone is not only passionate, but works in the field, has a deep knowledge and interest of the subject as well as being calm, empathetic and a person that embodies all the qualities of an MHFA/Trainer and more. She is an asset to your Courses. I look forward to doing the 8-18 years course in the future with her.”

Course Structure

Session 1 - Introduction

Individual learning (1 hour 15 minutes):
  • Introduction to the Online Youth Mental Health First Aid course and the Online Learning Hub
  • Activity 1: Why Youth Mental Health First Aid?
  • Activity 2: What is ALGEE?
  • Activity 3: What is mental health?
  • Activity 4: Mental health and stigma
  • Activity 5: Mental health quiz: Impact of mental health
  • Activity 6: Risk and protective factors for mental health
  • Activity 7: The Stress Container
Live session (2 hours 35 minutes):
  • Introduction to the course
  • Outline of live session 1, the value of Youth Mental Health First Aid
  • Introduce ALGEE
  • Recap what mental health is
  • Recap the Mental Health Continuum
  • Stigma
  • Recap why Youth Mental Health First Aid is important
  • Recap risk and protective factors
  • The Stress Container
  • The Frame of Reference

Individual learning (1 hour 15 minutes):
  • Activity 8: Your Stress Container
  • Activity 9: Your Frame of Reference
  • Activity 10: What is depression?
  • Activity 11: What is anxiety?
Live session (2 hours 10 minutes):
  • Introduction to live session 2
  • Recap of homework after live session 1
  • Recap depression
  • Signs and symptoms of depression in a young person
  • Recap anxiety
  • Signs and symptoms of anxiety in a young person
  • ALGEE for depression and anxiety in a young person
  • ALGEE for depression and anxiety, action 1
  • ALGEE for depression and anxiety, action 2-5
  • Self-care and close

Individual learning (1 hour 20 minutes)
  • Activity 12: Adolescent brain development
  • Activity 13: About suicide
  • Activity 14: Suicide risk factors
  • Activity 15: What is psychosis?
  • Activity 16: Lived experience of psychosis
  • Activity 17: ALGEE for psychosis
Live session (2 hours 5 minutes)
  • Introduction to live session 3
  • Recap suicide
  • Explore the impact of suicidal feelings
  • ALGEE for suicidal crisis
  • Practice non-judgemental listening skills
  • Recap psychosis
  • Recap warning signs and symptoms of psychosis
  • Recap ALGEE for psychosis

Individual learning (1 hour 35 minutes)
  • Activity 18: What is self-harm?
  • Activity 19: What are eating disorders?
  • Activity 20: Resilience
  • Workbook activity 7: My action plan for using Youth Mental Health First Aid (completed after live session)
Live session (2 hours 25 minutes)
  • Introduction to live session 4
  • Recap self-harm, the self-harm continuum
  • Warning signs of self-harm in young people
  • ALGEE for self-harm
  • Recap eating disorders
  • ALGEE for eating disorders
  • Applying MHFA to family and carers; the Recovery Tree
  • Evaluation forms and close

Book Your Course

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