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School of Sports & Health (education only)

Mental Health First Aid Basics and Wellbeing at Work and School (education only)

Education only, not medical or psychological advice, not therapy and NOT a certification. Reading this course does not certify you in mental health first aid, psychological first aid, first aid or CPR, and it does not replace a certified course with hands-on practice. Take a certified course from a provider recognised in your country (see In your country in Lessons 1 and 7). If someone may hurt themselves or someone else, or is in danger right now, call your local emergency number first. Crisis lines for each country are in the In your country box in Lesson 1.

What you'll be able to do
  • Explain what mental health is (WHO) and what mental health first aid is, and is not.
  • Recognise common signs of distress and the warning signs of suicide, and know who needs more help than first aid.
  • Use the WHO psychological first aid action principles: Prepare, Look, Listen and Link.
  • Use the five action steps for helping someone who may be thinking about suicide, including asking directly.
  • Connect a person to the right help and end your support well, with honest limits on privacy.
  • Describe the WHO's risks and recommendations for mental health at work, and what wellbeing support at school can look like.
  • Look after yourself as a helper, plan your certification and finish with a support-resources card.
Words in this course 32Open the Vocabulary Hall
01

From physical first aid to mental health first aid

In simple words

When someone falls and hurts a knee, you know to stay with them and get help. When someone is hurting inside, you can do the same: stay calm, listen and help them reach the right people. You are not the doctor. You are the first friendly person.

Before this course: Sport and Event Safety (course 10.7.2), which builds on First Aid and Emergency Basics (course 10.7). You should already know how to call your local emergency number, check a scene is safe and follow an emergency action plan. This course adds the mental health side: what to do when a person is in emotional distress or crisis.

Key facts
  • The World Health Organization (WHO) describes mental health as a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realise their abilities, learn and work well, and contribute to their community.
  • WHO says more than a billion people worldwide live with a mental health condition. Mental health conditions include mental disorders and psychosocial disabilities as well as other mental states.
  • WHO lists risk factors at many levels: individual factors such as emotional skills, substance use and genetics, and social factors such as poverty, violence, inequality and environmental deprivation. Protective factors include social and emotional skills, positive social interactions and access to quality education.
  • Psychological first aid (PFA), in WHO's guide, is humane, supportive and practical help for people who are distressed after a serious crisis event, in ways that respect their dignity, culture and abilities.
  • WHO's training material says PFA is not something only professionals can do, not professional counselling, not "psychological debriefing" (no detailed discussion of the distressing event) and not pressuring people to tell you their feelings.
  • Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a set of accredited training courses that began in Australia in 2000. MHFA International says the program is active in many countries and teaches people to support a friend, family member or co-worker who has a mental health problem or crisis.
  • First aid for the mind works like first aid for the body: you help until professional help takes over. You never diagnose.
Physical first aid (courses 10.7, 10.7.2)Mental health first aid (this course)
GoalKeep the person safe until help arrivesKeep the person safe and supported until the right help takes over
First checkIs the scene safe?Is the person or anyone else in danger right now?
Main toolsCall, CPR, AED, bleeding controlCalm presence, listening, asking, connecting to help
What you do not doTreat beyond your trainingDiagnose, give therapy, or promise to fix everything
In your country
  • Emergency (police, fire, ambulance): call 911.
  • Mental health crisis: call or text 988, or chat at chat.988lifeline.org. Free, confidential, 24/7 (the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).
  • Source: NHTSA National 911 Program: www.911.gov/
  • Source: 988 Lifeline: 988lifeline.org/
  • Police 110, fire 119, ambulance 120.
  • Mental-health crisis: 12356, the nationwide unified psychological assistance hotline set up by the National Health Commission; local health departments run it.
  • Source: National Health Commission notice on 12356: www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/202412/content_6994470.htm
  • Police 110. Fire and ambulance 119. Some areas offer #7119 if you are unsure whether to call an ambulance.
  • Mental health: Yorisoi Hotline 0120-279-338 (toll free, 24 hours, with a foreign-language option); #Inochi SOS 0120-061-338 (toll free, 24 hours). Both are listed by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
  • Source: FDMA, Making the Most of the Ambulance Service (119, #7119): www.fdma.go.jp/publication/portal/items/portal002_english.pdf
  • Source: MHLW, telephone consultation list (Japanese): www.mhlw.go.jp/mamorouyokokoro/soudan/tel/
  • Emergency: 112 police, 119 fire and ambulance.
  • Crisis line: 109, the Ministry of Health and Welfare's 24-hour suicide prevention line (free to call).
  • Source: Korea Herald (May 2026): www.koreaherald.com/article/10759801
Step by step
  1. Find the In your country box above and copy your emergency number and your crisis line onto a card or into your phone.
  2. Write one sentence in your own words: "Mental health first aid means..."
  3. Write three things you will NOT do as a mental health first aider (for example: diagnose, give therapy, force someone to talk).
  4. Think of one place where you spend time (team, workplace, class). Write who there could need support and who the trained or official helpers are.
  5. Check: you can say your emergency number and your crisis line from memory, and explain in one sentence why you never diagnose.
Watch on YouTube
WHO's Science in 5: mental healthWorld Health Organization (WHO · YouTube · youtube.com
What is psychological first aid?Psychosocial Centre · YouTube · youtube.com

Videos by other creators on YouTube, for reference. They are not made by or affiliated with The Future Market.

LESSON 01From physical first aid to mental health first aid
LESSON 01 / ANIMATED LESSON / AI VOICE00:00 / 01:00
Read the video script
[Host] "You know first aid for a sprained ankle. What about when someone is hurting inside?"
[Text on screen: WHO: mental health = coping, learning, working, contributing] "The WHO describes mental health as well-being that helps us cope with stress, learn, work and contribute."
[Text on screen: Not a doctor, not a therapist] "Mental health first aid is not therapy and not a diagnosis. It is calm, practical help until the right help takes over."
[Text on screen: Save your crisis line] "Save your emergency number and your local crisis line today."
[Host] "This course is education only. Take a certified course too."
Try it now

Make the first line of your support-resources card: your local emergency number, your crisis line and one trusted adult or manager you could go to.

ClaudeStuck? Copy a ready-made prompt for Claude

Copy this, open Claude, paste it, and Claude will walk you through the lesson step by step.

For a grown-up: Claude is for adults (18+). Copy this, paste it into Claude, and use the answer to explain the lesson to your child.

I'm learning "Mental Health First Aid Basics and Wellbeing at Work and School (education only)" on The Future Market. Lesson 1: "From physical first aid to mental health first aid".

What the lesson teaches:
- The World Health Organization (WHO) describes mental health as a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realise their abilities, learn and work well, and contribute to their community.
- WHO says more than a billion people worldwide live with a mental health condition. Mental health conditions include mental disorders and psychosocial disabilities as well as other mental states.
- WHO lists risk factors at many levels: individual factors such as emotional skills, substance use and genetics, and social factors such as poverty, violence, inequality and environmental deprivation. Protective factors include social and emotional skills, positive social interactions and access to quality education.
- Psychological first aid (PFA), in WHO's guide, is humane, supportive and practical help for people who are distressed after a serious crisis event, in ways that respect their dignity, culture and abilities.
- WHO's training material says PFA is not something only professionals can do, not professional counselling, not "psychological debriefing" (no detailed discussion of the distressing event) and not pressuring people to tell you their feelings.
- Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a set of accredited training courses that began in Australia in 2000. MHFA International says the program is active in many countries and teaches people to support a friend, family member or co-worker who has a mental health problem or crisis.
- First aid for the mind works like first aid for the body: you help until professional help takes over. You never diagnose.

The exercise I'm working on:
Make the first line of your support-resources card: your local emergency number, your crisis line and one trusted adult or manager you could go to.

I'm stuck. Please:
1. Explain the main idea in plain, simple words with one everyday example.
2. Walk me through the exercise one small step at a time. Ask me what I've done so far before giving the next step.
3. Don't just give me the final answer. Help me do it myself, and check my work when I share it.
4. This is for learning only. Remind me to check with a licensed professional before I make a real decision about my own money, health or legal situation.
I'm a parent helping my child (about 8 years old) with a lesson called "From physical first aid to mental health first aid" from the course "Mental Health First Aid Basics and Wellbeing at Work and School (education only)".

Here's what the lesson says:
When someone falls and hurts a knee, you know to stay with them and get help. When someone is hurting inside, you can do the same: stay calm, listen and help them reach the right people. You are not the doctor. You are the first friendly person.

The activity:
Make the first line of your support-resources card: your local emergency number, your crisis line and one trusted adult or manager you could go to.

Please explain this so an 8-year-old understands: short sentences, a fun everyday example, and no hard words.
Then give me 3 simple questions I can ask my child to check they understood, and a way to do the activity together, one tiny step at a time.
Keep it general and educational. This is not advice for a real situation.
Open Claude
Sources
My notes
02

Recognising distress and warning signs

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

03

Prepare, Look and Listen

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

04

When someone may be thinking about suicide

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

05

Link: connecting people to help and ending well

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

06

Wellbeing at work and school

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

07

Caring for yourself, getting certified and your support-resources card

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

++

Final project

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

??

Quiz

  1. Does this course make you a certified mental health first aider?

  2. How does the WHO describe mental health?

  3. Name two things psychological first aid is NOT.

  4. Name two warning signs of suicide.

  5. What are the four PFA action principles?

  6. What is the first thing to check in "Look"?

  7. Does asking someone directly about suicide increase suicidal thoughts?

  8. What should you do if someone has attempted suicide?

  9. Should you promise to keep a secret if someone's life may be at risk?

  10. Name two WHO psychosocial risks at work.

  11. How does the WHO describe burn-out?

  12. When does the WHO say a helper should consult a professional about their own difficulties?

EX

Final exam

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

CE

Certificate

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.