Southwark Council are offering several sessions of free Mental Health Awareness Training for VCS organisations working with refugees and asylum-seekers.
What is Mental Health First Aid?
The Mental Health First Aid course (MHFA) uses the model of physical first aid training to mental health. The course teaches attendees to:
- identify symptoms of different mental health problems
- how to provide immediate help to people experiencing distress and mental health difficulties
- how to guide those people to access appropriate treatments and support
It doesn’t teach attendees to be therapists, but it does provide key training on how to listen, reassure, and respond, even in a mental health crisis – and how to support people before a crisis happens.
What is the training offer?
This course provides specialist training to attendees, enabling them to gain expertise in Mental Health First Aid.
The goal of this training is to equip attendees with the skills and knowledge to support the mental health of the refugees and asylum seekers with whom they work. It will focus on empathy, understanding, de-escalation and resource signposting, working towards better mental health for vulnerable populations across Southwark.
There are several levels of MHFA training; this is the half-day Mental Health Aware certification. There are two-day, full accreditation courses also running in early 2023.
After the course, attendees will receive
- A certificate of attendance to certify that you are Mental Health Aware.
- A manual to which you can refer at any point in the future.
- A workbook to support your own mental health, as well as the mental health of others.
Details of the training
- Half-day (four-hour) workshops:
- Held in-person at 160 Tooley Street
- Free of charge
- Delivered through Southwark Council by BritSafe, an accredited MHFA provider.
Available dates
How to book
Sign up for free via the links above for your specified date.
Please note, places are limited and we would encourage participants to sign up ASAP. Sign-up for tickets will close one week before the training.
For more information
Please contact Rebecca.sinnott@southwark.gov.uk in the Public Health team at Southwark Council if you have any questions or would like to discuss the training opportunity further.
