What it's like to become a Mental Health First Aider

Catherine Hart, a solicitor and member of our Wellbeing Steering Group, describes her experience of becoming a Mental Health First Aider and why everyone should consider undertaking the training.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to take part in the Mental Health First Aid course arranged by the Law Society of Scotland at the beginning of January 2024.

There were around ten of us on the course which was held in person over two days. Both days were full on and dealt with some challenging topics, but the instructors were friendly and engaging and put us at ease.

We learned about the background to the Mental Health First Aid course, which was developed in Australia around 25 years ago when its founders realised that there was no mental health equivalent of physical first aid.

In a similar way to a physical first aid course,  Mental Health First Aid training gives participants the tools to provide an initial response to someone in distress, to be able to support them and to point them in the direction of other suitable or professional help.

The course included information about different mental health problems and recovery from these, which was very useful in providing insight into what someone experiencing a mental health crisis might be going through.

It's not about fixing things

Many people don’t know what to do in a mental health crisis. They do not know what to say if someone speaks to them openly about mental health challenges or they fear that they may say the wrong thing.  Unfortunately, this might mean that an opportunity to provide support is missed.  We learned that listening patiently without judgment is an important part of providing support.

The course teaches mental health first aiders how to intervene when someone is at risk of suicide. We were taught how to approach someone who appears to be in distress and to offer help.

As legal professionals we are often solution focused, so it helped to understand that, as mental health first aiders, our role is not to fix the person’s problems but simply to allow them to talk these through so that they feel more calm and able to get appropriate help.

Despite being challenging at times, I very much enjoyed the course. I valued the opportunity to expand my understanding of mental health problems and how to offer support. The course also emphasised the importance of looking after yourself, especially after supporting someone else in crisis.

Putting the skills to use

Since completing the course, I have had several opportunities to put the skills that I learned into practice and I hope that knowing that I am a mental health first aider encourages friends and colleagues to discuss mental health concerns with me. I feel much more confident in starting a conversation about mental health if I think that someone may need support.

I would encourage anyone who is thinking about becoming a mental health first aider to join the course. It is really worthwhile and being a mental health first aider can help to reduce stigma around mental health problems by encouraging openness and discussion about mental health issues.