Mental Health First Aid

First aid is the help given to an injured person before appropriate treatment

·         preserve life;

·         prevent deterioration of any injury or illness;

·         promote healing;

·         provide comfort to the ill or injured.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is the immediate help given to someone

·         to preserve life where a person may be a danger to themselves or others;

·         to provide help to prevent the mental distress developing into a more serious state;

·         to promote the recovery of good mental health;

·         to provide comfort to a person experiencing mental distress.

MFHA does not teach people to be therapists. However, it does teach people:

·        how to recognise the symptoms of mental distress

·        how to provide initial help

·        how to guide a person towards appropriate help

Mind Cymru, on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government, is aiming to train 75 MHFA Instructors, who will be trained by a team of four National Trainers. A team of three Regional Co-ordinators (covering North, Mid and South Wales) will support the Instructors in finding applicants to attend the two-day Mental Health First Aid course. Our initial target is to have over 2,000 people in Wales attending this two-day course by March 2009. We already have interest shown by the police and probation services, for example, in either sending staff to train as Instructors at Llandrindod, or to attend the 2-day training courses when these are up and running.

For further information, please contact Kim Pugh, MHFA Project Manager, on 02920 346581, k.pugh@mind.org.uk

or Claire Foster, Regional Co-ordinator (South) on 01495 757393, c.foster@mind.org.uk

or Gwynfryn Evans, Regional Co-ordinator (North) on 07802 173148, g.evans@mind.org.uk