5 common problems with MHFA training (and how to avoid them)

You’re a caring, forward-thinking person who sees the importance of investing in good employee mental health. But you don’t want to waste that investment on the wrong thing for your people.

The range of options is already somewhat daunting, and workplace mental health provision is an ever-growing market. Let’s look at the 5 most common problems with MHFA training and how partnering with an established expert helps you avoid them.

Why is mental health first aid (MHFA) training so vital in the workplace?

Our mental health is just one part of our overall health – and we all know how important it is to have a healthy workforce. Tackling mental health issues in the workplace is more difficult because it’s a relatively new topic of open discussion.

Generally, there’s a lack of knowledge about mental ill health and some stigma still attached to people dealing with mental health issues.

Taking care of mental health in your organisation can have a significant positive impact. Only paying lip service to tackling mental health issues in the workplace has huge costs to your individual employees, your workplace culture, and your bottom line.

These figures are from Deloitte’s fourth report, ‘Mental health and employers: the case for investment’:

Individual employees

• 63% of employees feel at least one of the three main symptoms of burnout
• 24% of respondents are diagnosed with a mental health condition

Workplace culture

• Presenteeism costs UK employers £24bn every year (Staff turnover costs £20bn)

Overall business

• Cost of poor mental health to UK employers is £51bn per year
• Absence due to sickness costs £7bn

Startling figures. And that’s just one report’s findings.

How much do you lose to absenteeism, sickness, presenteeism, and recruitment costs?

What is mental health first aid training?

Like any medical emergency, you need to know that your workplace is kitted out to deal with mental health first aid situations. Mental Health First Aid Training is an internationally recognised, accredited course. The idea is the same as a designated ‘first aider’ for physical health situations – each workplace has an appropriate number of MHFA-trained employees.

During the 2 days, attendees are given the tools to recognise and support mental health issues among their colleagues, including:

• Deeper understanding of mental ill health and what stressors impact well-being
• How mental health issues manifest themselves in the workplace, and how symptoms and triggers are different for each individual
• Develop useful skills that underpin their confidence to support someone with mental ill health – like active, non-judgmental listening
• Knowledge to signpost the most relevant support

Mental health first aiders become touchpoints for mental health information and immediate support during a workplace crisis across your organisation.

But not all MHFA training is created equal. As discussions around extending the legal requirement to compulsory MHFA training continue, so does the list of potential training programmes on offer – as the market becomes more lucrative.

It’s essential that you check your provider is following the licensed MHFA England programme.

It’s absolutely critical that you get the right training for your people, in your context. And understand that mental health first aid is only one part of creating psychologically safe workplace environments.

These are 5 common problems that you face when implementing MHFA training in your organisation.

Problem 1: One-size-fits-all training

By definition, MHFA England training courses follow a set curriculum. They’re limited by time – and only so much can be covered in 2 days. They are a solid overview of mental health issues in the workplace.

But each workplace has distinct dynamics and challenges – like managing stress, organisational change, and building resilience. These factors can vary significantly across industries; for example, doctors, construction workers, and traders all face very different stressors.

Due to the nature of the MHFA programme, it’s not always possible to address complex mental health issues and specific situations. Without a full, customised package of mental health training, this standardised course risks providing only a surface-level understanding of mental health, potentially leading to misconceptions or an inability to address nuanced workplace issues effectively.

How to avoid it

You need to ensure that you don’t stop at MHFA training. See it as a brilliant starting point for a fuller programme of mental health education for your staff.

Good MHFA trainers will be able to discuss your specific workplace needs and suggest further provision that suits your organisation. You should ensure that they have the expertise to address a range of mental health conditions and be able to signpost high-quality, ongoing for your staff (just like we do at Resilient People).

Problem 2: Seeing MHFA training as a ‘tick-box’ exercise

You know the various legislation you need to comply with, underpinned by: “It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees.” (Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.) And you’ve got the shelf/desktop full of HSE folders to prove it!

But if you treat MHFA as another formality, another tick box to complete, it’ll be entirely obvious to your staff. Only considering mental health as a legal necessity is not the same as genuinely investing in something you recognise as important.

MHFA training is a conversation starter that establishes a baseline of mental health first aid knowledge. Yes, this raises awareness and provides a basic level of peer support. But you’re not going to see the attitude shifts, reduced stigma, or create an inclusive workplace culture change you want without enabling deeper understanding.

How to avoid it

There are so many ways you can support your employee's mental health that makes them feel genuinely cared about. A standalone, MHFA ‘toolbox talk’ won’t cut it – in any industry. Partnering with a workplace mental health expert gives you the opportunity to find the right initiatives for your people.

We can help you do a mental health risk assessment and prioritise investment in the most valuable resources – whether that’s trauma-informed workplace training, or wellness days at a local spa.

What’s most important is that your employees feel that you see their mental health as an ongoing priority, not just another bit of statutory compliance.

Problem 3: No follow-up training

Skill-fade is real! MHFA training is a starting point for your attendees. They’re great for raising awareness and generating confidence to discuss difficult issues. But skills learned in a single course can fade over time, reducing the long-term effectiveness of training.
These brief sessions lack the continuity needed for employees to develop a deeper understanding of mental health, or to feel fully equipped to support colleagues with ongoing challenges.

How to avoid it

Develop a plan for comprehensive, ongoing training that allows for reflection, discussion, and reinforcement to keep knowledge and skills fresh. Yes, this is harder than it sounds! This is why we offer follow-up personalised training and support as standard.

Problem 4: No additional support for mental health first aiders

It’s one thing to learn about mental health issues, in theory, on a course. It’s another thing to deal with those situations with real people. The whole idea is that people can approach your mental health first aiders to get help when they’re in a time of distress, even crisis. They listen non-judgmentally and see their pain as an initial source of comfort.

This can be as distressing as witnessing a physical accident or injury, leaving them feeling stressed, anxious and overloaded by the emotional outpouring. If they feel unsupported, there’s every possibility they feel a negative impact on their own mental health. And that’s the last thing anybody wants.

How to avoid it

Pre-emptive, joined-up thinking is crucial here – which a good mental health training provider will advise on. You’re asking employees to take on an extremely responsible role by being a mental health first aider. They need to know that they’re part of a system that includes guardrails for their actions and support to process what they experience.

This means having policies and procedures in place that support their role. For example, confidentiality is an important expectation of any employee sharing their thoughts and feelings.

But mental health first aiders need to know that there’s also an expectation that this will be broken if someone reveals suicidal ideation or plans. You should have a process in place that details exactly what they should do if this situation arises.

Aside from such extreme situations, your first aiders need to know where they can regularly access mental health resources and share their experiences through networks of support or debriefs with HR.

Problem 5: Not integrating MHFA training within the company culture

Training a couple of your employees to be mental health first aiders is not going to make a great deal of difference to your organisation if:

• Management doesn’t participate in any ‘mental health’ training or discussion – maybe they don’t want to reveal a perceived weakness by association? It’s for everyone else, not them
• Anyone expressing any feelings is met with ‘banter’ as the response
• People don’t discuss anything related to burnout, workplace stress or trauma, for fear of management taking it as criticism – or that they can’t do their job

These are just a few examples of company culture that doesn’t nurture good mental health. If your work environment or policies don’t align with MHFA training, it’s going to be nearly impossible to implement in practice.

How to avoid it

Make your MHFA training, and entire mental health strategy, fully inclusive. From management to contractors, everybody needs to be involved in holistic training in order to make sure everybody reaps the benefits.

Training that’s perfectly matched to your company culture is the way to get complete buy-in to good mental health support. Not just a couple of people sent on an MHFA training course to tick the ‘mental health box.’ But professionally directed, ongoing training that builds a healthy workforce – and bottom line!

Get comprehensive MHFA training and ongoing support for your team

There’s a huge range of MHFA training within an expanding workplace mental health market and it can be challenging to find the right fit for your team. By partnering with an established expert, like Resilient People, you can avoid the main issues with MHFA training.

Your full mental health training strategy will be tailored, relevant and impactful in your organisation – helping you develop a healthier, more resilient workplace culture that’s better for your people, and better for your business.

Give us a call today to discuss kicking off your mental health strategy with MHFA training.