The Mental Health First Aid (Adult) manual has been divided into sections of mental health problem/disorders to help you access the information you need quickly and easily.  Each section provides you with information on the 5 step ALGEE MHFA Action Plan.  

You can access the information by clicking on the + symbol located beside each section heading.

We have included additional websites and links to external websites and other sections of the MHFA website to provide you with additional information relating to that particular area.  To access these weblinks, place your mouse over the link and click the left side of your mouse.  You will be automatically redirected to that particular information.

To complete your MHFA course you must complete the MHFA (Adult) questionnaire which is found under the Questionnaire tab on this website.  Upon successful completion of a 80% pass mark you will be able to automatically download your Mental Health First Aider certificate.

In 2000, the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) programme was created in Canberra, Australia by Betty Kitchener, an educator and mental health service user, in partnership with Tony Jorm, a mental health researcher. The aim in creating the programme was to extend the concept of first aid training to include mental health problems so that community members were empowered to provide better initial support to people developing mental health problems or in a mental health crisis.

Further information about MHFA Australia is available on the website: www.mhfa.com.au

Using the materials originally developed in Australia in 2000, MHFA was adapted for the Scottish Executive’s National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Well-being in 2004, known as Scotland’s Mental Health First Aid. A Northern Ireland pilot project in 2006, delivered through the cross-border partnership of Cooperation and Working Together (CAWT), Aware Defeat Depression and the Health Promotion Agency (HPA) and based on the Scottish MHFA materials, proved highly successful. Participants felt that the first aid skills enabled them to recognise the symptoms of mental illness, and provided them with the confidence, skill, motivation and knowledge to offer help. In 2008 the Health Promotion Agency signed a Memorandum of Understanding to adapt the MHFA Australia training programme for Northern Ireland and the first MHFA NI guidelines were produced in 2009.

In 2021 this MHFA (Adult) for Northern Ireland programme was produced in accordance with international guidelines developed by MHFA International. These guidelines were formed using the consensus of expert panels of mental health consumers, carers and professionals from developed English-speaking countries. Further details of the guidelines and their development can be found at: www.mhfa.com.au/mhfa-research.

Who should access Mental Health First Aid (Adult) training

MHFA (Adult) is for any person aged 18+ interested in learning how to assist other adults who are developing a mental health problem, experiencing a worsening of an existing mental health problem or in a mental health crisis, until appropriate professional help is received or the crisis resolves.

Disclaimer:

The information provided in this course is for Mental Health First Aid use only and is not intended to be, nor should it be relied upon as a substitute for, professional mental health advice.