Do We Really Need Mental Health First Aiders in the Workplace?
If you’re an HR manager, business owner or senior leader considering Mental Health First Aid training, you might be asking yourself:
Do we really need Mental Health First Aiders?
It’s a fair question.
Mental Health First Aid can be a valuable part of a workplace wellbeing approach, but I don’t believe it’s something you should introduce simply because everyone else seems to be doing it.
What is the point of having MHFAiders?
Mental Health First Aiders® can provide an additional layer of support within an organisation.
They’re trained to recognise signs that someone may be experiencing poor mental health or mental ill health, listen non-judgementally, provide initial support and encourage appropriate professional or organisational support where needed.
They’re not counsellors, therapists or a replacement for your HR, Occupational Health or EAP provision.
And that’s important.
The role works best when everyone understands what an MHFAider can — and can’t — do.
The training is only the starting point
One of the things I often encourage organisations to think about is:
What happens after we’ve trained our MHFAiders?
Do they know how to signpost colleagues?
Are there clear boundaries around the role?
Do managers understand how MHFAiders fit alongside existing support?
Is there a clear pathway if someone needs more specialist help?
Are MHFAiders supported themselves?
And how will you know whether the network is actually working?
Training people and putting their names on a poster isn’t the same as creating an effective workplace mental health support network.
So, should your organisation train MHFAiders?
It depends on your organisation, your workforce and what you’re trying to achieve.
For some organisations, MHFA training can be a really useful part of a wider wellbeing strategy.
For others, the first step might be improving manager capability, addressing workplace stress risks or making sure existing support pathways are clear.
The important thing is to start with the need — not simply the course.
At Flourish in Mind, I provide MHFA England training in Yorkshire and online across the UK, alongside support to help organisations make the MHFAider role work in practice.
Because MHFA training shouldn’t be the end of the conversation.
It should be the beginning.
Thinking about MHFA training for your organisation?
Find out more about Mental Health First Aid training →
Or get in touch for an informal conversation about what might work for your organisation.
You’ll find our public courses here.