Scotland’s Mental Health First Aid Training

This course is designed for everyone. It is interesting and varied and most participants tell us that they enjoyed it very much.

Five good reasons to attend SMHFA:

Most people don’t know what to do in a mental health crisis. Take the course and you will be one of the few who knows what to do and is confident about putting that knowledge into action.
You will learn how to recognise when a person might need help and the best way to approach them.
You could save a life by learning basic suicide intervention skills.
You will learn what protects your own and other people’s mental health.
You will learn new skills that are useful in every part of your life

Mental Health problems are not as frightening as most people think.
When a person has a mental health problem what they need most is someone who can:

listen calmly to their feelings and fears
give some simple information
tell them where to get appropriate help

It doesn’t sound too difficult does it?
This course is for everyone and participants use the skills they learn in all settings.

What will I learn on the course?

How to apply the 5 steps of SMHFA
How to respond if you believe someone is at risk of suicide.
How to give immediate help until professional help is available.
What to say and do in a crisis
The importance of good listening skills
Practice listening and responding
Understanding recovery from mental health problems
Understanding the connection between mental health problems and alcohol and drugs
Understanding the connection between mental health problems and discrimination
Some basic information about common mental health problems
Self help information

What happens on a SMHFA course

The course takes 12 hours and is often run on two separate days. Sometimes it will be in shorter sessions over two, four or six weeks.
It is an interesting course that includes different activities, films, discussions and even some fun and laughter.
You will get a certificate of attendance and a colourful and interesting manual to take away with you at the end so that you can remind yourself of what you’ve learned.

The aims of SMHFA are:

To preserve life.
To provide help to prevent the mental health problem or crisis developing into a more serious state.
To promote the recovery of good mental health.
To provide comfort to a person experiencing distress.
To promote understanding of mental health issues.

The course will give you the knowledge to apply these aims in a real life situation.

The SMHFA programme

The SMHFA course takes 12 hours to complete. It can be presented in a range of formats to suit different groups. The course must be presented by a qualified SMHFA instructor and quality is continuously monitored by NHS Health Scotland.

The course can be presented in the following formats:

2 full days
4 half days
6 two-hour sessions.

The following is a brief outline of what is covered on the course:

guidance on being a Mental Health First Aider
attitudes to mental health issues
equalities
the recovery message
the impact of alcohol and drugs on mental health
introduction to suicide intervention
listening skills
understanding depression
how to offer first aid to someone experiencing depression
understanding anxiety
how to offer first aid to someone experiencing anxiety
understanding psychosis
how to offer first aid to someone experiencing a psychotic episode.

The course does not train people to be mental health workers. It offers basic general information about mental health problems. The knowledge presented and understanding developed in the course helps to remove stigma and fear and to give confidence in approaching a person in distress.

Mental Health First Aid is an initial response to distress and all participants on the course understand that this help is given only until other suitable or professional help can be found