Overview
This online course trains 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 ​ 

​Cost
£300 per person.

Format

• 4 x 1-1.35 hour sessions with self-learning activities in between, spread across one to two weeks
• Delivered through the MHFA England Online Learning Hub
• Learning takes place through a mix of presentations, group discussions and workshop activities
• Each session is built around a Youth Mental Health First Aid action plan
• Maximum of 16 people per course so that the instructor can keep people safe and supported while they learn​

Takeaways
Everyone who completes the course gets:

• A certificate of attendance to say you are a Youth Mental Health First Aider
• A Youth MHFA manual to refer to whenever you need it
• A workbook including some helpful tools to support your own mental health

Technical Requirements
For the best possible experience participants require:

• A computer, laptop, MacBook or tablet with speakers, microphone, and video capabilities 

joining from a smartphone is not recommended

• A stable high-speed internet connection
• Private space where you can work uninterrupted
• Access to zoom video conferencing (it is free to download)
• Click here to review the system requirements for zoom
• Click here to try out a zoom test meeting

Agenda

Session 1: Introduction

Individual learning (1 hour, 15 minutes):

• Introduction to the Online Youth Mental Health First Aid course and the Online Learning Hub
• Activity 1: Why Youth Mental Health First Aid?
• Activity 2: What is ALGEE? 
• Activity 3: What is mental health?
• Activity 4: Mental health and stigma 
• Activity 5: Mental health quiz: Impact of mental health
• Activity 6: Risk and protective factors for mental health 
• Activity 7: The Stress Container 

Live session (2 hours, 35 minutes):

• Introduction to the course
• Outline of live session 1, the value of Youth Mental Health First Aid
• Introduce ALGEE 
• Recap what mental health is 
• Recap the Mental Health Continuum 
• Stigma 
• Recap why Youth Mental Health First Aid is important 
• Recap risk and protective factors 
• The Stress Container 
• The Frame of Reference 

Session 2: Depression, anxiety and self-care

Individual learning (1 hour, 15 minutes):

• Activity 8: Your Stress Container
• Activity 9: Your Frame of Reference
• Activity 10: What is depression?
• Activity 11: What is anxiety?

Live session (2 hours, 10 minutes):

• Introduction to live session 2
• Recap of homework after live session 1
• Recap depression 
• Signs and symptoms of depression in a young person 
• Recap anxiety 
• Signs and symptoms of anxiety in a young person 
• ALGEE for depression and anxiety in a young person 
• ALGEE for depression and anxiety, action 1 
• ALGEE for depression and anxiety, action 2-5
• Self-care and close 

Session 3: Suicide and psychosis

​Individual learning (1 hour, 20 minutes):

• Activity 12: Adolescent brain development
• Activity 13: About suicide
• Activity 14: Suicide risk factors
• Activity 15: What is psychosis?
• Activity 16: Lived experience of psychosis
• Activity 17: ALGEE for psychosis

​Live session (2 hours, 5 minutes):

• Introduction to live session 3
• Recap suicide
• Explore the impact of suicidal feelings
• ALGEE for suicidal crisis
• Practice non-judgemental listening skills
• Recap psychosis
• Recap warning signs and symptoms of psychosis
• Recap ALGEE for psychosis

Session 4: Self-harm, recovery and action planning

Individual learning (1 hour, 35 minutes):

• Activity 18: What is self-harm?
• Activity 19: What are eating disorders?
• Activity 20: Resilience
• Workbook activity 7: My action plan for using Youth Mental Health First Aid (completed after live session)

Live session (2 hour, 25 minutes): 

• Introduction to live session 4
• Recap self-harm, the self-harm continuum
• Warning signs of self-harm in young people
• ALGEE for self-harm
• Recap eating disorders
• ALGEE for eating disorders
• Applying MHFA to family and carers; the Recovery Tree
• Evaluation forms and close