Scottish Mental Health First Aid
Course
In Edinburgh
Description
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Type
Course
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Location
Edinburgh (Scotland)
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Class hours
12h
To help participants to: Preserve life where a person may be a danger to themselves or others. Provide help to prevent a mental health problem developing into a more serious state. Promote recovery of good mental health. Provide comfort to a person suffering a mental illness. Suitable for anyone interested in Scottish Mental Health First Aid Training.
Facilities
Location
Start date
Start date
Reviews
Course programme
What is Scotland's Mental Health First Aid?
The course was developed in Australia and is based on the concept of general First Aid training. It is a 12-hour course developed by Betty Kitchener and Professor Tony Jorm from the Centre for Mental Health Research at Australian National University with the aim of improving the awareness and understanding of the mental health of members of the Australian community. A recent formal evaluation carried out in Australia has shown that people who attended this course improved their confidence in helping others, improved their knowledge and reduced any negative attitudes they may have had about mental health problems. It also improved their mental health.
Scotland ran a successful pilot of the course in 2004 and the independent evaluation confirmed that people in Scotland wanted to do this training and that the format and content were appropriate for here. On completion of the pilot work has been done to develop and adapt the course for the Scottish context.
It has proved successful with general members of the public and different professional groups including teachers, front line public sector workers and health workers.
It teaches participants how to give initial help to someone experiencing a mental health problem, how to deal with a crisis situation or the first signs of someone developing mental ill health and how to guide people towards appropriate professional help. The course does not train you to be a therapist, counsellor or mental health professional.
The sessions will cover the following topics
Session 1
- SMHA in the context of Scottish Mental Health policy
- Common Mental Health problems
- The 5 steps of Mental Health First Aid
- Depression – definition, symptoms and risk factors
Session 2
- Suicide in Scotland
- Crisis First Aid for Suicidal behaviour and for Overdose
- First Aid for Depression
Session 3
- Anxiety Disorders
- Alcohol, Drugs and Anxiety Disorders
- Crisis first aid for Panic Attacks and Acute Stress reaction
- Treatment and Resources for Anxiety Disorders
Session 4
- Psychotic Disorders
- Crisis first aid for Acute Psychosis
- Treatment and Resources for Psychosis
- Scottish Mental Health Legislation
Courses are designed specifically to meet the individual needs of each workplace.
Scottish Mental Health First Aid