First Aid Training for Mental Health

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, you do better.” – Maya Angelou

What Is Mental Health?

Mental health is how we think, feel and behave.  Like physical health, EVERYONE has mental health; people can experience both good mental and poor mental health in their life.    Additionally 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem at some point in their lifetime.

Despite our mental health being an integral part of our lives, understanding and knowing how to talk about it can be challenging and daunting.  Combatting this starts with recognising what we mean by mental health, recognising key signs and symptoms of someone who may be experiencing poor mental health, as well as developing our confidence to have a supportive conversation.  Understanding the main signs and symptoms of the most common mental health conditions can also improve our knowledge and confidence to have those important supportive conversations.

First Aid for Mental Health (FAMH) training is available at 3 different levels: Basic Awareness in FAMH; Award in FAMH and Award in Leading FAMH.

All levels will provide participants who successfully complete the training to attain accreditation in line with the Scottish Qualifications Framework (SCQF) and Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF). 

All content is supported by the National Health Service (NHS) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).  All training materials and provision is underpinned by the First Aids Awards Agency.

Course Information

Cost:

From £75 for individuals. POA for organisations

Awarding Body:

First Aid Awards Limited

Duration:

1-2 days, depending on course selected.

Qualification:

SQA Accredited

Delivery:

In person or online. Hybrid learning available. Locations within Scotland for more flexible private sessions

Testimonial

I attended the training with Kirsty in September 2023. From start to finish, Kirsty taught the training eloquently, confidently and with passion. Kirsty's approach was one in which I was able to feel an active part of the training. During the practical elements of the course, Kirsty was patient and encouraging. If I was unsure of something, Kirsty would further explain things with greater clarity to consolidate the information. Kirsty was professional and delivered the course seriously - however, she has a very 'human' approach to delivering training and so I felt able to relax in her presence and immerse myself into the course. I am grateful to Kirsty for her encouragement, great communication and thoroughness.

Jordan, Leading Mental Health First Aid Course 

Testimonial

The content was well structured and informative, it gave concise information that will be benefical in my work place. Kirsty was so aware of our well-being throughout the course, which was hugely appreciated. She put me at my ease straight away, so enabling us to speak openly and frankly about the subject topics. Thank you! I really enjoyed this course. Kirsty was excellent and very knowledgeable. She asked us regularly if we were ok which I haven't had on many courses before. It made me think a lot about my own practice when working with young people and possibly changing things to better support them. It was very well put together and having access to the ebook is great, It will be a valuable tool to have. In fact, all of the resources are very useful.

Educators in a secondary school September 2022 - online Basic Awareness course

Testimonial

Ruth - September 2022 I really enjoyed the course. It was very informative and well-organised. Excellent resources. I feel better equipped now to offer support to students in relation to mental health. Thank you very much! Sara - Very professional and knowledgeable and was very good at gauging her participants making the course relevant to the groups work role Toni - I really enjoyed this course and found the content valuable - especially the sections on suicide and self-harming which I didn’t know much about.

Theorise September 2022

Testimonial

Sarah – Basic Awareness Course - Today was great, really learnt more about mental health and different ways to help young people suffering. I also learnt a lot with the statistics that a lot more people are struggling with it than I knew about. Kirsty was fantastic at keeping us all interested and made sure everyone was okay! Couldn’t recommend enough! Cliff – Basic Awareness course - The course was very informative and the assessor knew the subject very well. Excellent to ensure we were ok and allowing for reflection. The course helped to have a better understanding of the language used when talking about mental health or Mental illness and understanding the symptoms.

Launchit September 2023

Testimonial

I was lucky enough to take part in the First Aid Mental Health training with Kirsty Webster @Grow, and despite being fairly knowledgable in the mental health field, it brought about many robust and challenging discussions around suicide and mental health stigma, which no one is comfortable talking about. It helped me, personally, to challenge that part of myself that can finds it difficult. There was a diverse range of people with differing experiences and in different fields of work, and this only added to the wealth of knowledge and contribution. Kirsty was able to facilitate this training with an approach that was just the right balance of guidance, input and allowing room for growth. She is exceedingly knowledgeable in her field of expertise, and she ensured the welfare of each individual on the course, due to the nature of its challenging content. It was an amazing experience, and I would highly recommend this training for any individual, organisation, to ensure good mental well being in the workplace. I would also highly recommend Kirsty as a professional in her field. Thank you, Kirsty!

Shona 2 Day Leading Mental Health Course Online

Testimonial

Kirsty provided our training online as we are based in Edinburgh. It was great she could be flexible and accommodate this so we wouldn’t miss out on it not being in the same city. Doing the training online, we still felt Kirsty’s presence with us in the room, as she would often check in to see how we are managing with the content. Kirsty utilised a laidback and friendly approach which is welcomed when learning more about a topic that can be hard to spend the day focussing on. But Kirsty was able to help make it manageable, and we were also able to enjoy some light-hearted humour throughout the day which offered a rich balance when having important and serious conversations about mental health conditions that should be taken seriously. Kirsty was very encouraging and helped make the assignment part of the course work for us. I have recommended her training to managers across our organisation and out with. If people have an opportunity to learn alongside Kirsty, then they will have spent their time wisely.

Frankee – Assistant Service Manager - Penumbra 2 Day Leading Mental Health Course Online

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