Mental Health First Aid Training at work: A guide for employers
However much we try to maintain a healthy workplace, accidents will happen. That’s why we have staff trained in first aid — we need to know that when things go wrong, someone knows what to do and is looking out for us.
But what happens when the problem isn’t physical? What if the difficulty we’re facing is with our mental health? You can’t CPR your way out of depression or put a bandage on someone’s anxiety attack. Would you know what to do?
Mental health first aid (MHFA) gives you the confidence to step in and the skills to make sure you can make a real difference.
Why invest in mental health first aid training?
Mental health first aid training is just as necessary as physical first aid training. Here’s why we as employers, need to invest in high-quality training.
Mental health issues are often hidden
An injury is often easy to spot, but mental health issues can be harder to spot. MHFA training helps you spot mental health issues early. This lets you step in and prevent serious problems rather than just responding to them.
Mental health issues are common
Approximately 25% of us will suffer from mental health issues in any given year. This means that 1 in 4 of your staff are struggling with their mental health or will be soon. Your mental health first aiders will have plenty of opportunities to help those around them.
There's a stigma around mental health
Despite how common mental health issues are, many of us don’t feel comfortable sharing our struggles or talking about the impact of our mental health on our lives. This is especially true when it comes to our working lives.
It's scary not knowing what to do
Despite how common mental health issues are, many of us don’t feel comfortable sharing our struggles or talking about the impact of our mental health on our lives. This is especially true when it comes to our working lives.
Your mental health first aiders feel empowered to support others — and to ask for help themselves.
Mental Health First Aid Training options
As with all training, quality matters. Finding the right training option for your organisation is essential to help your mental health first aiders feel confident supporting their coworkers. How can you ensure that your training provider is right for you?
MHFA England has developed outstanding training courses. They’re a social enterprise dedicated to helping improve mental health throughout the country.
MHFA England offers a wide range of training courses, from simple mental health awareness to the full, certified mental health first aider course. This is endorsed by the Royal Society for Public Health.
Staff can attend courses in person for face-to-face teaching or attend remotely if they prefer. Refresher courses are also available to ensure that your employees are always working from up-to-date knowledge and best practice.
How Paws in work can help with Mental Health First Aid
At Paws in Work we are experts in mental health in the workplace. We know you can’t have puppies in the office all the time (though that would be great!) We want to help you to have great mental health every day.
To help achieve this, we offer mental health first aid training at all levels, fully accredited by MHFA England. We provide the full range of mental health training, including mental health first aid and bespoke masterclasses explicitly designed for your teams.
Our outstanding courses include Mental Health Champion, Mental Health First Aider, and Mental Health First Aider Refresher courses. In line with MHFA England’s recommendations, these can be in-person or online and are flexible to meet your needs.
We’re especially proud of our gold packages, which combine expert masterclasses, in-person puppy therapy for your staff, and virtual puppy therapy for those working remotely.
Contact Paws in Work today if you’re looking for high-quality, innovative mental health first aid training for your staff. Let us help you make your office a supportive, safe space for mental health and wellbeing.
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