Regional charity sets up Mental Health training division

Training For Life is a new not-for-profit brand that is an extension of the multi-award winning charity Student Life and provides opportunities to attend Mental Health awareness courses; from half-day through to the full, two-day Mental Health First Aid course. 

All courses are accredited to MHFA England.  In-house instructors offer the YOUTH and ADULT/WORKPLACE courses – to train the skills, knowledge and confidence to step in, give first aid and guide someone towards the help they may need.

“Mental Health First Aid are training courses that teach people how to identify, understand and help someone who may be experiencing a mental health issue. We 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” said Business Development Manager Louise Richardson.

“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” continued Louise.

“Our Youth Mental Health First Aid course is designed for anyone who works with, lives with or supports young people aged 8–18. We train the adults in a young person’s life to have the skills and confidence to step in, offer first aid and guide them towards the support they need. In doing so, they can speed up a young person’s recovery and stop issues from developing into a crisis” explained CEO Richard Stewart.

“But more than that, by giving these adults the information and skills to look after their own mental health, we want them to set an example for young people. We want adults to be able to show young people that mental ill-health is a part of life in just the same way as physical ill health, that it’s OK to talk about and it’s OK to ask for help” continued Richard.

To find out more information please visit the Training for Life website.