This online course trains you as a Youth Mental Health First Aider (MHFAider®), 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
We limit numbers to 16 people per course so that the instructor can keep people safe and supported while they learn
Course StructureSession 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
Session 2: Depression, Anxiety & Self-Care
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
Session 3: Suicide & PsychosisIndividual 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
Session 4: Self-harm, Recovery & Action PlanningIndividual 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