Congratulations Courtney on becoming a Mental Health First Aider!

This week, I took part in the MHFA England 2-day course to become a Mental Health First Aider. Whilst two days may seem like a long time to be discussing such difficult topics, the experience gained is incredibly invaluable both in the workplace and out.

Whilst on this course, I was able to learn more about different examples of poor mental health or mental health crisis, how to spot the signs of those, and how best to approach, listen, and support a person towards the best kind of help to hopefully begin their journey of recovery.

There is no one way to approach a person. Every situation will be different, and throughout the course, we were supplied with multiple case studies for us to discuss in smaller groups, which allowed me to build confidence in myself and my ability to effectively conduct my role as a MHFAider.

I would recommend this course to anyone. As an individual, you do not know when someone close to you is going to experience poor mental health, but having this knowledge means that you are equipped to be understanding of what they may be experiencing, and able to potentially assist in their recovery.

As a business, having MHFAiders is a way to further invest in the wellbeing of all your staff members. 1 in 4 people experience poor mental health each year, and when the average person spends 30% of their waking hours at work, usually with the same people, this is a place that changes in a person could be recognised, and intervention could occur earlier.

I completed my course via The Lighthouse Construction Industry, who offer other beneficial courses such as Suicide Awareness and Managing Mental Health in the Workplace. You can find information and book courses via their Wellbeing Academy here: https://www.lighthouseclub.org/wellbeing-academy/, or you can book courses directly with MHFA England here https://mhfaengland.org/.