Mental Health First Aid (England)

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.

Although things are improving, stigma still exists around mental ill health. As a society, we don’t tend to know how to take care of our mental health like we do our physical health. This means that people may not know how to support a friend, family member or colleague experiencing a mental health issue, or where to go for support with their own mental health.

• You can become Mental Health Aware with a half day of training in Adult MHFA
• You can become a Mental Health Champion with 1 day of training in Adult or Youth MHFA
• You can become a Mental Heath First Aider with 2 days of training in Adult or Youth MHFA

These courses are not available through Kensington & Chelsea Mind at the moment, but we are working hard to be able to offer them again. We will update this page as soon as they are available.

CNWL NHS Foundation Trust are currently offering free Mental Health First Aid training – see available courses. 

Mental Health Aware

This course raises awareness of mental health. It covers: 

• 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

This course is not available at the moment. We are working hard to be able to offer it again. We will update this page as soon as it is available.

MHFA – Adult

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.

You’ll also learn how to empower someone to access the support they might need for recovery or successful management of symptoms. This could include self-help books or websites, accessing therapy services through their GP, their school or place of work, online self-referral, support groups, and more.

What’s more, you’ll gain an understanding of how to support positive wellbeing and tackle stigma in the world around you.

This course is not available at the moment. We are working hard to be able to offer it again. We will update this page as soon as it is available.

CNWL NHS Foundation Trust are currently offering free Mental Health First Aid training – see available courses. 

MHFA – Youth

Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) courses are for everyone who works with, lives with or supports young people aged 8-18. They will teach you the skills and confidence to spot the signs of mental health issues in a young person, offer first aid and guide them towards the support they need. In doing so, you can speed up a young person’s recovery and stop a mental health issue from getting worse.

Our courses won’t teach you to be a therapist, but we will teach you to listen, reassure and respond, even in a crisis – and even potentially stop a crisis from happening. 

But more than that, we aim to give you the information and skills to look after your own mental health so that you can set an example for young people. By giving you the tools to have these conversations, we hope to empower you to create a mentally healthy, supportive environment in your family, school, peer group or community.

Let’s create a future where mental health is treated as a normal part of life, in the same way as physical health. A future where every young person has access to support if they need it.

This course is not available at the moment. We are working hard to be able to offer it again. We will update this page as soon as it is available.