Mental Health and Wellbeing training
We delivery a suite of different courses for individuals, teams and organisations. Additional courses are being developed, and will be launched in the near future. Feel free to contact us for further information.
Mental Health First Aid is a two day (or four bitesize sessions delivered virtually) educational course which teaches people how to identify, understand and help a person who may be developing a mental health issue. In the same way, as we learn physical first aid, Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to recognise those crucial warning signs of mental ill-health.
Developed in Australia in 2000 and now internationally recognised in 23 countries, MHFA courses teach people how to recognise the signs and symptoms of common mental health issues, provide help on a first aid basis and effectively guide someone towards the right support. Action to prevent suicide has a network of approved instructors working with different sectors, organisations and communities throughout England, delivering a range of courses including Adult MHFA.
Download an information sheet
The two day (or four bitesize sessions delivered virtually) Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) courses are for anyone who works with, lives with or supports young people aged 8-18. We train the adults in a young person’s life to have the skills and confidence to step in, offer first aid and guide them towards the support they need. In doing so, they can speed up a young person’s recovery, stop issues from developing into a crisis, and ultimately save lives.
But more than that, by giving these adults the information and skills to look after their own mental health, we want them to set an example for young people. We want adults to be able to show young people that mental ill health is a part of life in just the same way as physical ill health, that it’s OK to talk about and it’s OK to ask for help. We hope that by giving people the tools to open up these conversations, we can empower them to create mentally healthy, supportive environments in their families, schools, youth groups and communities.
Let’s create a future where we all know how to look after our own mental wellbeing, so preventable issues don’t arise in the first place. A future where every young person has access to support if they need it.
Youth Mental Health First Aid Half Day (face to face or virtually delivered)
This half day course is an introductory half day session to raise awareness of young people’s mental health.
It is designed to give:
An understanding of some of the common mental health issues affecting young people, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders and psychosis
Skills to work more effectively with young people living with mental health issues
Ways to support young people with a mental health issue and relate to their experiences
A taste of the contents of the Youth MHFA Two Day course
Please click here to download a list for more training information
If you require further information on any of the above please do not hesitate to contact thccg.cepn@nhs.net or 020 3961 8577
The half day course is an introductory four hour session to raise awareness of mental health.
It is designed to give you:
An understanding of what mental health is and how to challenge stigma
A basic knowledge of some common mental health issues
An introduction to looking after your own mental health and maintaining wellbeing
Confidence to support someone in distress or who may be experiencing a mental health issue
Mental Health First Aid refresher
The four hour Refresher course supports existing Mental Health First Aiders and MHFA Champions by:
Renewing their skills
Updating their knowledge of mental health supports
Giving them the chance to practice applying the Mental Health First Aid action plan
Enabling their Mental Health First Aiders and MHFA Champions to refresh their skills, the same way physical first aiders do, is a great way to demonstrate your organisation’s commitment to treating mental health and physical health equally. Investing in the course will give you the confidence that your Mental Health First Aiders and MHFA Champions are performing their role safely and effectively.
The recommendation is that Mental Health First Aiders and MHFA Champions attend a Refresher course each year. Just like physical first aid, updating skills and knowledge allows people to perform this vital role confidently and safely.
The one day course (delivered virtually), which can also be delivered in 2 x 3.5 hours session is an interactive workshop accredited by City & Guilds, making it the route to the UK’s only national qualification in Suicide Prevention. The programme is evidence-based, interactive, and covers both theory and practical skills.
Participants learn and practice the skills needed to identify someone who may be thinking about suicide, and to competently intervene to help create a safe plan, as a first aid approach.
The Suicide First Aid Lite (delivered virtually) is a 4 hour course giving learners the knowledge and tools to understand that suicide is one of the most preventable deaths and some basic skills can help someone with thoughts of suicide stay safe from their thoughts and stay alive.
SFA Lite is comprised of 2 bitesize parts. The programme teaches the skills needed to identify someone who may be thinking about suicide and to pass the person onto a suicide first aider. The half day course offers learning outcomes that are knowledge based and factual. This training can be used as a stand-alone programme or as the first part of a journey to learn suicide prevention skills
ASIST is a two-day training course that is suitable for anyone over the age of 16 regardless of prior experience. If you want to be able to provide suicide first aid then this course is ideal. Shown by major studies to significantly reduce suicidality, the ASIST model teaches effective intervention skills whilst helping to build suicide prevention networks in the community.
Over 1,000,000 people worldwide have taken the workshop, which includes:
Presentations and guidance from two LivingWorks registered trainers
A scientifically proven intervention model
Powerful audio-visual learning aids
Group discussions
Skills practice and development
A balance of challenge and safety
Download an information sheet
TuneUp is for ASIST qualified care givers who need a reinforcing, follow-up experience. The half day course aims:
To reinforce the model of suicide intervention
To revisit attitudes
To share and explore participants’ experiences of suicide interventions
To explore resource and networking issues
safeTALK is a short course aimed at anyone over 15 years of age. It only takes three and a half hours to complete.
Become aware and be able to respond if suicidal thoughts are present
See how invitations for help are often overlooked
Learn about common tendencies to miss, dismiss, and avoid the problem of suicide
Apply the TALK steps: Tell, Ask, Listen, and KeepSafe
Understand what community resources are available and how to connect someone with further help
Download an information sheet
Developed by Lifeline Workshops – ASK is the only suicide prevention workshop that specifically addresses suicide risk in children and gives participants developmentally appropriate strategies and tools to identify young children at risk of suicide and quickly gather and organise key details needed to assess risk and inform safety planning.
The ASK Workshop is a one-day (or 2 half days virtually delivered), evidence-informed and highly interactive suicide prevention training. Learn from informative videos, mini-lectures, and group discussions. Apply and practice as you learn with case studies and guided simulations. Leave with tools and templates you can integrate into your practice immediately.
Suicide Talk
Ranging from 90 minutes to a half a day, suicideTALK is an ideal way for participants to become more aware of suicide-related issues within their community. Dealing openly with suicide, this talk focuses on the question “Should we talk about suicide?”
By looking at this in a number of ways, you can discover some of the thinking around suicide in their communities and increase awareness and insight:
How suicide is a serious problem that can be misunderstood
How personal and community beliefs about suicide affect suicide stigma and safety
How the steps taught in LivingWorks’ safeTALK program can be used to help prevent suicide
How to get involved in life protection, preservation, and promotion activities in the community
We currently only offer this programme as an in house package. If you wish to arrange for a SuicideTALK session for your team please contact sarah.tahsildar@nhs.net
‘Through The Eyes Of’ - improving understanding of Mental Health through Virtual Reality
Through the use of Virtual Reality (VR) technology why not improve your understanding of what a person with Mental Health disorder may be experiencing? The aim of the learning would be to improve empathy and also help build reflective discussions around the issues.