Mental Health First Aid at the University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow, as part of its Mental Health Action Plan, undertook to develop a holistic, multi-stranded approach to employee and student mental health and wellbeing. One of the agreed strands was the introduction of Scotland’s Mental Health First Aid training for a core number of employees, to raise awareness of mental health issues and create a point of contact for initial assistance and guidance to professional help, for those staff and students seeking help for poor mental health.
What is Mental Health First Aid?
NHS Scotland describes Scotland’s Mental Health First Aid (SMHFA) as being “like any other type of first aid, the help given to a person before appropriate professional help or treatment can be obtained”. The main difference is that it is the initial support for someone who needs support for a mental health issue rather than a physical one”
Scotland’s Mental Health First Aid (SMHFA): http://www.smhfa.com/
Like first aiders, mental health first aiders aim to:
- Preserve life
- Prevent deterioration of mental health – by providing help
- Promote recovery – i.e. support the first steps to regaining good mental health
- Provide comfort, to a person in distress
As well as:
- Promoting understanding of mental health issues.
It is important to appreciate that mental health first aid is not designed to treat or offer long-term support for mental health issues but to help an individual through the immediate distress and assist and guide them to appropriate professional help.
How can I find my nearest mental health first aider?
SCMH dedicated mental health first aiders (Contact details within the below links):
Alternatively, you will find a list of all trained mental health first aiders who have volunteered to join the SMHFA Network here https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/health/.
You may contact any of the Mental Health First Aiders listed on the network, and are not restricted to those within your local area, but we recommend selecting one fairly close to your usual base at the University for ease of access. Please bear in mind that all the Mental Health First Aiders are volunteers and have other roles, therefore your first choice may not always be available. In this case please do not give up, try other First Aiders on the list.
They all want to help.
UofG Mental health first aiders
And remember, it’s ok not to be ok
