What is Mental Health First Aid?
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) courses are a suite of internationally acclaimed and evidence-based training programs that empower and equip individuals with the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to support a friend, family member or co-worker experiencing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis such as being suicidal or having a panic attack.
Our Mental Health First Aid Ireland course teaches people how to provide MHFA. Participants will learn the signs and symptoms of mental health problems and what sort of help has been shown by research to be effective. They will learn a framework for communication, how to offer and provide initial help, and how to guide a person towards appropriate treatments and other supportive help.
Global Impact + Evidence Based
Mental Health First Aid Ireland is the only licenced provider of Mental Health First Aid in Ireland and is part of the Global MHFA community, with 30 active licensed providers in 29 countries, with over 7 million people having received the training and over 21,000 in Ireland alone.
MHFA International have, since they began in 2000, been committed to evaluating the MHFA training using rigorous, scientific studies. Courses have been independently and internationally reviewed in academically peer-reviewed studies.
Mental Health First Aid training has been shown to improve attitudes towards people with mental health difficulties, reduce stigma, improve knowledge, and improve people’s confidence in providing help and likelihood to advise people to seek professional help.
Lived Experience
Mental Health First Aid course curriculum is informed by a series of guidelines developed through the Delphi Consensus Method which includes people with lived experience of mental health problems and caregivers, in addition to clinical and research experts.
CORE VALUES
The Objectives of
Mental Health First Aid Ireland are:
To empower people within our communities to address emerging mental health problems early and enable recovery
To increase awareness of the signs and symptoms of mental health problems
To promote engagement with all strategies and resources available to support people experiencing mental health difficulties
To improve attitudes towards people with mental illness and reduce stigma
Award winning courses
Mental Health First Aid Ireland has received a number of awards and acknowledgements, including in Ireland the Irish Healthcare award and the IBEC Keep Well Award.
As we continue to embody the values of St John of God, we are dedicated to evolving our practices to meet the ever-changing needs of our patients while remaining true to our compassionate roots. Our facilities and dedicated staff are all part of our ongoing commitment to providing the highest standard of care, ensuring that the spirit of St John of God’s mission lives on in everything we do.
