Elsevier

Collegian

Volume 24, Issue 3, June 2017, Pages 313-315
Collegian

The role of Mental Health First Aid training in nursing education: A response to Happell, Wilson & McNamara (2015)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2016.06.002Get rights and content

Abstract

This article responds to concerns Happell, Wilson and McNamara (2015) have raised about the role of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training in undergraduate mental health nursing education in Australia. MHFA training was developed in Australia to improve the capacity of members of the public to provide initial help to a person with a mental health problem or in a crisis. In 2012, the Australian government provided funding for MHFA training of frontline workers, including nursing students. From mid 2012-mid 2016, over 15,728 nursing students received the training. An evaluation study found positive effects on intentions to provide MHFA and confidence in helping a peer, improvements in MHFA knowledge and a reduction in stigma. Contrary to Happell, Wilson and McNamara’s concerns that MHFA training will become part of the core nursing curriculum at the expense of mental health nursing content, MHFA training is primarily aimed at peer support. The program has been standardized to preserve fidelity and quality, and the curriculum content follows an evidence-based rather than medical model. We agree with Happell and colleagues that MHFA training would be a valuable prerequisite to nursing education, but that it is not sufficient for professional training.

Section snippets

The aims of MHFA training

Mental health first aid has been defined as “the help offered to a person developing a mental health problem, experiencing a worsening of an existing mental health problem or in a mental health crisis. The first aid is given until appropriate professional help is received or until the crisis resolves” (Kitchener, Jorm, & Kelly, 2015, p. 12). In order to improve the mental health first aid skills of the public, we developed and began delivering the world’s first MHFA training course in Australia

Dissemination of MHFA training

MHFA training has been extensively rolled out in Australia since 2001 and internationally since 2004 (Pham, 2015). As of 2015, over 375,000 people have done a MHFA course, which corresponds to over 2% of the adult population. MHFA training has also spread from Australia to over 20 other countries. As of 2015, over 1 million people had done a MHFA course worldwide.

Research underpinning MHFA

One of the factors behind the rapid spread of MHFA training is the extensive research underpinning the program. The first aid strategies taught in MHFA courses are based around expert consensus guidelines developed using the Delphi method. This method is a systematic way of gaining practice-based evidence from a range of experts (Jorm, 2015). These guidelines cover the best mental health first aid strategies for helping a person developing a mental health problem such as depression (Langlands,

MHFA training of nursing students

In 2012, MHFA Australia successfully applied for funding from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing for training of ‘frontline workers’. This application covered the training of (1) workers in financial counselling and (2) students training in nursing and medicine. The funding covered tailoring of the Standard MHFA course for these groups, development of eLearning versions of the tailored training, the roll-out of the training, and an evaluation of the training. The roll-out

Points of agreement with Happell and colleagues

Happell et al. (2015) major concern is that MHFA will become part of the core nursing curriculum and this may occur at the expense of other content. They state that “the professional level mental health skills expected at this level exceed the mental health awareness outcomes of MHFA, in a similar way that the more physical health focused areas of nursing exceed the content of the traditional first aid programme. Nursing requires a broader range of interventions to be provided over a longer

Points of disagreement with Happell and colleagues

Happell et al. (2015, p. 436) claim that “MHFA takes a predominantly medical-model approach with a focus on signs and symptoms of mental illness.” We believe that MHFA involves an evidence-based model and supports all approaches that have a good evidence base, whether they be medical, psychological, social or self-help. The bulk of MHFA training is not about signs and symptoms and treatments, but rather what practical actions a member of the public can take to support a person with a mental

Conclusion

In conclusion, we agree with Happell et al. (2015) that MHFA could play a useful role in the training of all nursing students. Indeed, the evidence available supports the benefits of this training to student’s knowledge, attitudes and helping skills. However, it is not sufficient for professional training of nurses in mental health.

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