Mental Health First Aid
We are pleased to be able to deliver MHFA England’s Online Adult Mental Health First Aid course, we can train Mental Health First Aiders working or living across England, via the Online Learning Hub.
Every day here at Citizens Advice Wokingham, we support people who are struggling with their mental health.
People across Wokingham Borough rely on us to support them with issues around welfare benefits, debt, housing, employment law, relationships & family, consumer, immigration and much more.
We know that these issues can, and often do, have a huge impact on our mental health and wellbeing. People living with mental ill-health can be disproportionately impacted by issues around money, for example, which can affect many parts of daily life, including employment and housing. You can find out more information about this here.
We also know that Mental Health affects 1 in 4 of us every year. In order to more effectively support our communities across Wokingham (and England!) and our team, we have made mental health a key focus of our strategy.
Please contact us if you would like to take advantage of our reduced-rate Mental Health First Aid adult online courses.
Please contact mhfa@citizensadvicewokingham.org.uk for any enquiries or use the booking enquiry form on this page to register on a course.
Please see current available open dates below. We can also put on full courses for an individual organisation (or a group of organisations with a lead sponsor) for
a minimum of 12 delegates and a maximum of 16 per course.
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Booking form and available dates for our open courses
Course information
First Aiders (two-day online)
Training first aiders
This online course qualifies you as a Mental Health First Aider, giving you:
- An in-depth understanding of mental health and the factors that can affect wellbeing
- Practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues
- Confidence to step in, reassure and support a person in distress
- Enhanced interpersonal skills such as non-judgemental listening
- Knowledge to help someone recover their health by guiding them to further support – whether that’s self-help resources, through their employer, the NHS, or a mix
Format
- This is an online course delivered through the MHFA England Online Learning Hub
- Learning takes place through four live training sessions, over two days, with self-learning activities in between
- Each session is built around a Mental Health First Aid action plan
- We limit numbers to 16 people per course so that we can keep people safe and supported while they learn
Takeaways
Everyone who completes the course gets:
- A certificate of attendance to say you are an MHFA champion
- A manual to refer to whenever you need it
- A quick reference card for the Mental Health First Aid action plan
- A workbook including a helpful toolkit to support your own mental health
Workplace Champions (one-day online)
Training champions in workplace mental health
This online course qualifies you as an MHFA Champion, giving you:
- An understanding of common mental health issues
- Knowledge and confidence to advocate for mental health awareness
- Ability to spot signs of mental ill health
- Skills to support positive wellbeing
Format
- This is an online course delivered video conferencing
- Learning takes place through a mix of presentations, group discussions and workshop activities
- We limit numbers to 16 people per course so that we 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 Mental Health First Aider
- A manual to refer to whenever you need it
- A quick reference card for the Mental Health First Aid action plan
- A workbook including a helpful toolkit to support your own mental health
Course costs
First Aiders
(two-day online)
MHFA England value this course at £300 per person.
Through Citizens Advice Wokingham we are offering this course at subsidised rates for:
- Charity/non-profit – £120 per individual space
- Individuals/Business/Local authority – £150 per individual space
We can also deliver a full course just for your organisation, for a minimum of 12 delegates, and a maximum of 16 delegates.
Champions
(one-day online)
MHFA England value this course at £200 per person.
Through Citizens Advice Wokingham we are delivering this course at subsidised rates for:
- Charity/non-profit – £100 per individual space
- Individuals/Business/Local authority – £120 per individual space
We can also deliver a full course just for your organisation, for a minimum of 12 delegates, and a maximum of 16 delegates.
Our instructor
Jake Morrison is our Chief Executive here at Citizens Advice Wokingham – he leads the organisation on a day-to-day basis and supports the board of trustees with setting and driving the charities strategy. At Citizens Advice national annual conference in November 2020 he received the ‘excellence in leadership’ award for his work during the pandemic, supporting other Citizens Advice services and work around mental health and wellbeing in the service.
Jake is passionate about supporting mental health and wellbeing in our communities and workplaces. He has lived experience of a number of mental health conditions and also has ADHD.
He delivers our Mental Health First Aid courses as an independent instructor of MHFA England alongside his day-job here. He is accredited to deliver the two-day MHFA and one-day Champion courses.
If you are interested in attending one of our courses please log your interest via the form above or email mhfa@citizensadvicewokingham.org.uk if you have any questions or want to make a group booking.
Feedback from delegates
“The course was excellent, it ran at a really good pace and even though we overran it did not feel like you wanted it to end. Some courses you sit at the end of the day clock watching but this was not the case here. Both instructors were engaging and pleasant to listen to.“
“The course was delivered extremely well and lots of open communication was facilitated. I was never belittled or made to feel silly for asking a question or getting something wrong. The course was structured very well and easy to follow. The resources are of high quality and there is opportunity for further learning after the course. Jake, Lauren and all of the delegates made this a very enjoyable learning experience and I will be recommending it to anyone who has an interested in becoming a MHFA.”
“Hi Jake, thank you for the training last week. You have a very calming way of teaching which is very good for this type of course.“
“I have had an excellent experience on the course with excellent opportunity for discussion with others, case studies, and practising use of ALGEE. The course really has given me hope for a better future for everyone, and will greatly increase my confidence supporting my customers.”
“Jake was very knowledgeable on the topic and really brought things to life when talking about his examples. He delivered the course excellently and kept the pace going throughout the 2 days.“
“brilliant course, brilliant instructor – highly recommended“
“Very useful and practical course, in which I have learned some really helpful skills and knowledge to help approach and support people in crises and people with mental health problems. Really well led by Jake, with his personal experiences, background and expertise providing us with great opportunities to learn and ask questions to ground our learning.”
“In my opinion, this was an excellent course. It was delivered clearly and the instructor really knew ‘his stuff’. He was approachable and non-judgemental. I really enjoyed the course.”
“I just wanted to say thank you again for a fabulous course. You have a lovely delivery style.”
Our first 16 local charity staff and volunteers trained via funding from Berkshire Community Foundation and The National Lottery Community Fund.