Youth Mental Health First Aid (Youth MHFA) is an internationally recognised training course which teaches how to spot the signs and symptoms of poor mental health and provide help to young people on a first aid basis.

Mind in Bexley’s quality assured trainers deliver this course either in-person at your office or virtually (depending on your organisational needs). This can be delivered as a two-day course or over four half days.

Completing this course qualifies you as a Youth Mental Health First Aider. Youth Mental Health First Aiders have:

• An in-depth understanding of young people’s mental health and factors
  which affect wellbeing.
• Practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues.
• Confidence to reassure and support young people in distress.
• Enhanced interpersonal skills such as non-judgemental listening.
• Knowledge to help a young person recover their mental 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.

The course is delivered in four manageable chunks:

• Mental health introduction
• Depression and anxiety
• Suicide and psychosis
• Self-harm and eating disorders

Youth MHFA training focuses on current issues faced by young people, such as cyber bullying and substance misuse, teaching ways to promote protective factors and good parenting.

Those who complete the course get a Youth MHFA manual to refer to whenever they need it, and a certificate to acknowledge their Youth Mental Health First Aider status.

Cost: £220 per person with discount available for group bookings. Sessions run for two full days or four half days and are available face-to-face in your workplace, or online via Microsoft Teams.

Please email training@mindinbexley.org.uk if you’d like to discuss your needs and more information on this training.