Youth Mental Health First Aider

This two-day course qualifies 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

Two-day face to face or online course across four manageable sessions. Each session is built around a Youth Mental Health First Aid action plan. Learning takes place through a mix of presentations, group discussions and workshop activities.

Session 1

  • 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

Session 2

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

Session 3

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

Session 4

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