Are Mental Health First Aiders saving lives?

Are Mental Health First Aiders saving lives?

Nine workplace Mental Health First Aid standards have been published by the consultancy Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) as a “framework for effective mental health first aid support”.

Employers such as PwC, WHSmith, and Simplyhealth have already pledged to be early adopters of the standards, which were developed after a consultation with over 100,000 members of the Association of Mental Health First Aiders.

Life-savers

Asked about their role and impact, 89% of current MHFAs said they believed they MHFAs  lives and 91% that they were challenging stigma around mental health. 90% argued that MHFA training should be a legal requirement in every workplace.

The release of the standards is to be marked with an MP-sponsored event at the House of Commons on 12 November which plans to “celebrate the lifesaving conversations of Mental Health First Aiders”.

Clarity on roles

“MHFAs have been a positive development in raising awareness of the importance of employee mental health, making it easier for staff to have the crucial early conversations about their concerns,” said EAPA UK chair, Karl Bennett. “But MHFA training is strictly limited to providing initial signposting. They’re untrained when it comes to giving any advice on highly complex and sensitive issues, which needs to be left to professionals.”

“Unlike professional counsellors, MHFAs have no support when it comes to their own mental health and how it might be affected. It’s important at this stage that the role of MHFAs isn’t overstated — they should only ever be one element in a package of measures that provide preventative and reactive support.”