Who is it for?
Enabling your Mental Health First Aiders® to refresh their skills, the same way your physical first-aiders do, is a great way to demonstrate your organisation’s commitment to treating mental health and physical health equally. Just like physical first aid, updating skills and knowledge allows people to perform this vital role confidently and safely. Investing in the course will give you the confidence that your Mental Health First Aiders® are performing their role safely and effectively.
We recommend that Mental Health First Aiders® attend a Refresher course every three years. Learners have up to six months after their certificate has expired to complete an MHFA Refresher course. If their certificate is more than six months out of date, they will need to recompleted the full MHFA course.
Individuals interested in joining the Association of Mental Health First Aiders® can also attend the redeveloped MHFA Refresher course to become a member. These individuals must have completed an equivalent, eligible Level 3 mental health first aid qualification or higher, gained in the last three years.
The following qualifications have been assessed and approved to give you an example of the eligibility criteria:
- FutureQuals Level 3 Award in Mental Health: Workplace First Aider Qualification (RQF): FutureQuals Qualification Number: 610/1484/9
- FAA Level 3 Award in Supervising First Aid for Mental Health (RQF): Qualification Number 603/3770/9
The MHFA Refresher course is not open to those who have completed the MHFA Champion or MHFA Aware courses. MHFA England recommend that MHFA Aware and Champions complete a new MHFA course to become a MHFAider®.
What will I learn on the half day MHFA Refresher Course?
The four hour Refresher course will support your Mental Health First Aiders® by:
- Renewing their skills
- Updating their knowledge of mental health support
- Giving them the chance to practice applying the Mental Health First Aid action plan
Learning takes place through a mix of presentations, group discussions and workshop activities.
Refresher topics include:
- What is mental health?
- The Mental Health Continuum
- The MHFAider role
- The MHFA Action Plan: ALGEE
- MHFA Conversation Practice
- Boundaries in the MHFAider role
- Self Care
Delegates will receive a workbook and manual and access to the new 3 year MHFAider® support and benefits package and membership of the Association of Mental Health First Aiders which includes:
- 24/7 digital support through the MHFAider Support App®
- A resource library of toolkits and guidance to support your MHFAiders® in their role
- A signposting database through Hub Of Hope to find local and national mental health services for additional support
- Secure conversation journaling to make reflective notes while protecting confidentiality
- 24/7 text support services through Shout for advice and reassurance on a mental health conversation or to support wellbeing after a difficult conversation
- Exclusive quarterly webinars to embed and broaden mental health knowledge
- The benefit of joining England’s largest community of trained MHFAiders®
- Membership to the Association of Mental Health First Aiders
