MHFA - Isle of Man
Mental Health First Aid - Isle of Man.
Founded in 2001, the MHFA programme has spread from Australia to over 20 countries and is now available to you right here on the Isle of Man through Manx Minds.
Manx Minds is the first and currently, the only private organisation offering courses officially accredited by MHFA England.
What is Mental Health First Aid?
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) was first developed in Australia by Betty Kitchener and her husband, Professor Anthony Jorm. Like most brilliant ideas it came about in a very ordinary way. Betty and Tony were walking their dog one day when they realised that there was no mental health equivalent to physical first aid. This seed of an idea led to an internationally recognised programme of simple steps that can be used to help a person in distress. Founded in 2001, the programme has spread from Australia to over 20 countries and is now available to you right here on the Isle of Man through Manx Minds.
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.
Watch this short video to find out more about Mental Health First Aid and our 1 in 10 target.
Becoming a Mental Health First Aider®.
Everyone is well-used to having trained physical first aiders in almost every area of life. No one expects these first aiders to be heart surgeons or even doctors - they are simply people who have had some certified, accredited training, to enable them to be able to offer help in the the first instance when a medical emergency happens.
In the same way, the accredited Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training we offer does not transform you into a qualified counselloror psychiatrist. Mental Health First Aid 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.
If you would like more information about a MHFA course on the Isle of Man please contact us.