How to provide Mental Health First Aid from a distance

This month Hope Health have trained a record amount of candidates to be Mental Health First Aiders. Each training cohort has been filled with compassionate individuals, keen to learn the skills on how they can support their colleagues, communities families and even themselves with their mental health. 

A concern which ran throughout most of the training sessions was how to apply the skills from a distance. When providing Mental Health First Aid from a distance, the following tips might be useful

• Get to know remote workers and check in with them regularly
• Show that you are a Mental Health First Aider in your email signature or by sharing a digital poster so remote workers know who you are
• Apply the same principles to video calls as you would to conversations in person – set time aside, minimise distractions, and give the person your full focus
• Make it clear that you are there to support the person remotely in any action they want to take
• Know how the person can contact HR, their line manager, or their EAP remotely
• Offer some self-care tips that they can do from home – going for a walk, meditating, and eating well can be done from almost anywhere

For anyone interested in becoming a Mental Health First Aider please do get in contact or you can find more information here 

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an internationally recognised training course which teaches people how to spot the signs and symptoms of mental ill health and provide help on a first aid basis.