Mental Health First Aid: An Instructors Perspective Steve Jones

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Mental Health First Aid An Instructors
PerspectiveSteve Jones Annie Whelan
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Our interest in delivering MHFA

• Commitment to reducing stigma, fear and ignorance
  about mental health
• Involvement with Lewes District and Wealden Mind
  in bringing MHFA to England
• Concept of mental health first aid
• Nationally recognised and promoted course

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MHFA course content

• Session 1 Introducing mental health
• Session 2 Depression and suicide
• Session 3 Anxiety disorders
• Session 4 Psychoses

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Content of MHFA course

• We particularly like and try to emphasise
• Continuum model
• ALGEE
• Recovery
• Stigma and Language
• Demystifying mental health problems
• Self and Informal Help as well as Professional
  Help

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Reflections on ALGEE

• Assess for the risk of suicide or self harm
• Listen non-judgmentally
• Give reassurance and information
• Encourage the person to seek appropriate help
• Encourage self help strategies

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Our experience of delivering MHFA courses

• 10 courses between us during 2008
• Most working together as co-instructors
  bringing different experience and expertise
• Variety of settings and participants in East
  Sussex, Berkshire , Rotherham and Cornwall

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Course composite

• Rotherham 3 courses for managerial staff of
  engineering company
• East Sussex 4 courses mixed community based

• Berkshire MH and ICAS advocates
• Cornwall MH , IMCA and ICAS advocates
• East Sussex Advocacy senior managers and
  administrators

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Who came?

• Housing care workers
• Faith workers
• CAB Advisers
• Advocates
• People with direct MH experience
• Counsellors and therapists
• Learning disability support workers
• Managers and administrative workers
• Students
• Smoking cessation nurses
• Engineering Company Staff
• Carers

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Feedback samples

• I think this training should be offered to a
  wider range of people and should possibly be
  mandatory for public service and health sectors!
• I will use this training in my work and in my
  private life
• This will improve my response to mental health
  emergencies!
• The discussion times to flesh out areas were
  very important
• Complimentary and varied experience of the
  trainers added value!

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Responses to MHFA sessions

• Session 1 Introducing mental health
• Session 2 Depression and suicide
• Session 3 Anxiety disorders
• Session 4 Psychoses

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Advocates

• Found the information really useful as background
  knowledge
• Wanted differentiation on advice and information
  because of role boundaries
• Section on Personality disorders
• More on Self harm and specifically on eating
  disorders
• More on what to do when appropriate services are
  non responsive

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Business sectorParticipants
Community Participants

• Exercises and Role plays that fitted with their
  particular settings
• More focus on workplace scenarios

• More linkage to everyday life
• More sensitive language
• MHFA for war torn nations
• Widely available courses

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Practical issues for instructors

• Number and background of instructors
• Pattern of session delivery
• Timing
• Venue and location
• Composition of participants

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Improving and developing MHFA

• Additional topics
• Tailoring to specific groups
• Reviewing current content presentation,
  activities, manual, DVD and handbook
• Other versions of MHFA

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Marketing and promoting MHFA

• Securing funding vs. marketing places
• Impact of financial climate
• Key groups to target
• Role of CSIP and commissioners