Record levels of young people are struggling. Academic pressure, social media, bullying, poverty, lack of availability of professional mental health support – all have been named by various sources as contributing to this epidemic of poor mental health in our young people.

It’s clear that young people are not getting the support they need. Key figures in a young person’s life – parents, family members, teachers, tutors, carers, youth workers – can often spot when a young person is struggling but may not know how best to help.

Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA®) courses are for everyone who works with, lives with or supports young people aged 8-18. They will teach you the skills and confidence to spot the signs of mental health issues in a young person, offer first aid and guide them towards the support they need. In doing so, you can speed up a young person’s recovery and stop a mental health issue from getting worse.

Our course 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. 

Overview

This two day course trains you as a Youth Mental Health First Aider (MHFAider®), 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

The training will be delivered by Michael Daynes who is a trained MHFA® England Instructor Member.

Cost

MHFA England values this course at £300 per person.

Jack Drum Arts is offering this course at a highly subsidised rate of £25 per person. Bursaries for individuals are available upon request and are assessed on a case by case basis.

Course Format

Two day face-to-face course delivered across four manageable sessions

Each session is built around a Youth Mental Health First Aid action plan

Learning takes place through a mix of presentations, group discussions and workshop activities

We limit numbers to 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 MHFAider®

• A YouthMHFAider® manual to refer to whenever you need it

• A workbook including some helpful tools to support your own mental health

Course Content

Accessibility

We strive to create courses and resources that everyone can access. If you have specific access requirements, please mention it when enquiring about or booking the course.

Dates

In addition to the courses below, we will be adding additional dates between 15th April and 21st June 2024 so keep checking this page for details.
If you would like to arrange training especially for your school, college or organisation (a minimum of 12 attendees is required for this and a maximum of 16) then please contact Jill Chambers on jill@jackdrum.co.uk or 01388 765002

Terms and Conditions

Please note that unless given a bursary, an administration charge of £25 per head will apply which will be non-refundable in the event of a cancellation. Sessions in Durham and Seaham are for people associated with members of Youth Print Network only.

These training sessions are kindly supported by Child Health and Wellbeing Network North East and North Cumbria.

Please keep checking this page for additional courses