Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)
We all have mental health, just as we all have physical health. Mental ill health can strike at any time and can affect people from all walks of life.
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a training course which teaches people how to identify, understand and help someone who may be experiencing a mental health issue.
MHFA won’t teach you to be a therapist, but it will teach you to listen, reassure and respond, even in a crisis – and even potentially stop a crisis from happening. You’ll learn to recognise warning signs of mental ill health, and develop the skills and confidence to approach and support someone while keeping yourself safe. What’s more, you’ll gain an understanding of how to support positive well-being and tackle stigma in the world around you.
We offer a variety of Mental Health First Aid courses, find out more and book your place using the links below:
Information and resources:
Mental Health First Aid
With our new and improved Mental Health First Aid training you will gain:
A deeper understanding of mental health and the factors that can affect people’s wellbeing
Practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues
The confidence to step in and support someone to recover their health by guiding them to appropriate support
Three years of access to the MHFAider Support App® with 24/7 digital support
Access to exclusive resources, ongoing learning opportunities, and the benefit of joining England’s largest community of trained MHFAiders®
All MHFA England Instructor Members are accredited by the Royal Society of Public Health, meaning you can expect a quality assured and consistent training experience
This training, usually £325* per delegate, has been fully funded by Public Health & Cornwall Council for anyone who lives or works in Cornwall & The Isles of Scilly.
The only cost to the delegate is the £35.50 cost of the course resources.
This course is available in a digital classroom in 4 sessions or can be delivered in a physical classroom over 2 days.
Please note, participants must fully attend all sessions.
Click here to book your training course place in a physical classroom
Click here to book your training course place in a digital classroom
Mental Health First Aid Youth
This two day course qualifies you as a Youth Mental Health First Aider, giving you:
An in-depth understanding of young people’s mental health and factors that affect wellbeing
Practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues
Confidence to reassure and support a young person in distress
Enhanced interpersonal skills such as non-judgemental listening
Knowledge to help a young person recover their health by guiding them to further support – whether that’s through self-help sites, their place of learning, the NHS, or a mix – engaging with parents, carers and external agencies where appropriate
Ability to support a young person with a long term mental health issue or disability to thrive
Tools to look after your own mental wellbeing
This training, usually £325* per delegate has been fully funded by Public Health & Cornwall Council for anyone who lives or works in Cornwall.
The only cost to the delegate is the £35.50 cost of the course resources.
This course is available in a digital classroom in 4 sessions or can be delivered face to face over 2 days.
Please note, participants must fully attend all sessions.
Click here to book your training course place in a physical classroom
Click here to book your training course place in a digital classroom
Mental Health First Aid - One Day (First Aid Champion)
The one day mental health awareness and skills course qualifies you as a workplace MHFA Champion.
Workplace MHFA Champions have:
An understanding of common mental health issues
Knowledge and confidence to advocate for mental health awareness
Ability to spot signs of mental ill health
Skills to support positive well-being.
Through a mix of group activities, presentations and discussions, the course is built around a Mental Health First Aid action plan.
This training, usually £225* per delegate, has been fully funded by Public Health & Cornwall Council for anyone who lives or works in Cornwall & The Isles of Scilly.
The only cost to the delegate is the £28.00 cost of the course resources.
Mental Health First Aid - Half Day (Awareness)
This half day course is an introductory session to raise awareness of mental health, it is offered face to face or via a digital classroom. 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
This training, usually £100* per delegate, has been fully funded by Public Health & Cornwall Council for anyone who lives or works in Cornwall & The Isles of Scilly.
The only cost to the delegate is the £20.00 cost of the course resources.
Click here to book your training course place in a physical classroom
Click here to book your training course place in a digital classroom
Mental Health First Aid Youth - Half Day (Awareness)
This introductory session raises awareness of young people’s mental health. It covers:
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
This training, usually £100* per delegate, has been fully funded by Public Health & Cornwall Council for anyone who lives or works in Cornwall & The Isles of Scilly.
The only cost to the delegate is the £20.00 cost of the course resources.
Click here to book your place on this training session
Mental Health First Aid - Refresher
Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAider®) should take the MHFA Refresher course every three years to:
Keep their awareness of mental health support current
Update their knowledge of mental health and what influences it
Practice applying the Mental Health First Aid action plan
Receive access to MHFAider® Support and Benefits for three years
This is a four-hour session with a mix of presentations, discussions and activities.
This training, usually £100* per delegate, has been fully funded by Public Health & Cornwall Council for anyone who lives or works in Cornwall & The Isles of Scilly.
The only cost to the delegate is the £25.50 cost of the course resources.
Click here for more information and to book your place
Mental Health First Aid Youth - Refresher
Just like physical first aid we recommend Youth Mental Health First Aiders take the Youth MHFA Refresher course every three years to ensure their mental health knowledge, awareness, and skills are up to date.
Refreshing your Youth Mental Health First Aid skills ensures that you can continue confidently supporting young people and contribute to a mentally healthy, supportive environment where every young person’s mental health matters.
Renew your skills
Update your knowledge of mental health
Practise applying the MHFA action plan
Receive access to MHFAider® Support and Benefits for three years
This is a four-hour session with a mix of presentations, discussions and activities.
The only cost to the delegate is £25.50, this amount covers the cost of participant workbooks. The actual training delivery is free of charge.
Click here to book your training course place in a physical classroom
Click here to book your training course place in a digital classroom
The Orange Button Community Scheme
The Orange Button is a badge worn by people who have taken part in Quality Assured mental health or suicide prevention training. While they’re not able to counsel people, they can help someone find relevant local services.
The Orange Button signifies that the person displaying it is:
OK to say/hear the word suicide
Can listen without judgement
Can direct people to information and support
Once you have completed at least three hours of Quality Assured mental health first aid or suicide prevention training you can become an Orange Button holder. This is to ensure you are equipped with the skills to listen and signpost people.
Find out more about the scheme, including how it works and how you can get involved
Healthy Cornwall Mental Health and Wellbeing Resources
You can find useful information and advice, helpful tools and resources and support information on our Mental Health and Wellbeing pages, including video resources created by our training team:
Explore our mental health and wellbeing website area