Mental Health First Aid for company directors and governance leaders

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) teaches people how to notice when someone may be developing a mental health problem or is in crisis, and how to offer initial support until professional help is received.

For company directors, board members and other governance leaders, MHFA skills are useful in two ways. They help in the moment when a colleague is struggling. They also build the understanding leaders need to oversee psychological health and safety across an organisation.

心理健康急救

Mental Health First Aid Australia is a not-for-profit health promotion charity. It reports that more than 1.6 million Australians, and around 9 million people worldwide, have been trained.

該 Standard MHFA course is for any adult aged 18 or over. According to MHFA Australia, it:

• runs for 12 hours, either face to face over two days, or as self-paced eLearning plus a face to face or videoconference session
• covers common mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, psychosis and substance use problems
• covers crises, such as suicidal thoughts, panic attacks, self-injury and after traumatic events
• offers an optional assessment at the end, after which participants become Accredited Mental Health First Aiders for 3 years

Refresher courses of about 4 to 5 hours can extend accreditation for a further 3 years.

The MHFA Action Plan

The course is built around a five-step action plan, often called ALGEE:

1. Approach the person, assess and assist with any crisis
2. Listen and communicate non-judgementally
3. Give support and information
4. Encourage the person to get appropriate professional help
5. Encourage other supports

The steps are flexible and do not have to be followed in strict order.

What the evidence shows

A 2018 systematic review and meta-analysis by researchers at the University of Melbourne combined 18 controlled trials with 5,936 participants. It found that MHFA training led to:

• better knowledge about mental health first aid and effective treatments
• better recognition of mental health problems
• greater confidence and intention to help
• small reductions in stigma
• a small increase in the amount of help people gave at follow up

Effects were small to moderate and were clearest up to 6 months after training. Effects at 12 months, and changes in the quality of help given, were less clear. This suggests refreshers and ongoing practice matter.

Why MHFA matters for leaders

Mental health concerns are common. The ABS National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing (2020 to 2022) found that 21.5% of Australians aged 16 to 85 had a mental disorder in the previous 12 months, most often an anxiety disorder. In most teams, someone will be affected at some point.

Managers are often the first to notice that someone is not coping. They see changes in mood, attendance, performance or relationships. How they respond can shape whether a person seeks help early or keeps struggling alone.

MHFA gives leaders:

• language to start a caring, private conversation
• confidence to ask directly about suicide when there are warning signs
• knowledge of where to refer, including GPs, psychologists, employee assistance programs and crisis lines
• a clearer sense of their role, which is to support and connect, not to diagnose or treat

Leaders who have done MHFA can also model open, respectful conversations about mental health, which helps reduce stigma across a team.

What an MHFA-informed conversation can look like

For example, imagine a manager notices that a usually reliable team member has missed deadlines, seems tired and has stopped joining team lunches. An MHFA-informed approach might look like this:

• Choose a private moment. Pick a time and place where the person will not be overheard or rushed.
• Describe what you have noticed. Stick to specific, caring observations, such as “You haven’t seemed yourself the last few weeks. How are you going?”
• Listen more than you talk. Let the person share what they want to, without judging or jumping to solutions.
• Talk about supports. Mention options such as a GP, a psychologist or the employee assistance program, and ask what would help at work.
• Agree next steps. This might include temporary changes to workload or hours, and a time to check in again.
• Be clear about privacy. Keep what they share confidential, except where there is a risk to safety.

If there are signs someone may be thinking about suicide, MHFA teaches people to ask directly and to stay with them while connecting them to help. If someone is in immediate danger, call 000. For 24-hour crisis support call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Why it matters for directors and boards

Boards do not usually provide first aid themselves. Their role is governance. But understanding mental health helps directors and executives oversee psychological health and safety properly.

Under the model work health and safety laws, officers such as directors have a duty of due diligence. Safe Work Australia’s model Code of Practice on psychosocial hazards explains this includes taking reasonable steps to:

• keep up to date knowledge of psychosocial health and safety matters
• understand the organisation’s operations and the psychosocial hazards and risks involved
• make sure appropriate resources and processes are available and used to manage those risks
• make sure there are processes to receive and respond to information about incidents and hazards in a timely way
• verify that those resources and processes are working

Victoria has its own OHS Act and psychological health regulations. WorkSafe Victoria publishes information for senior officers about their responsibilities.

Questions boards can ask

• What are our main psychosocial hazards, and how do we know?
• What have we changed in how work is designed or managed as a result?
• What do complaints, leave, turnover and claims data tell us?
• Do managers have the time and skills to support their teams?
• How do we check that our controls are working?

What MHFA is not

MHFA is valuable, but it has limits:

• It does not train people to diagnose or provide therapy.
• It does not make leaders responsible for fixing a person’s mental health.
• It does not replace clear referral pathways. Staff still need to know how to reach your employee assistance program, local services and crisis lines.
• It is not a substitute for managing psychosocial hazards. In Victoria, training must not be the main control for psychosocial risks.

MHFA works well alongside other steps, such as workload planning, clear roles, fair processes and programs that build a mentally healthy culture. Our guide to psychosocial hazards at work explains these controls.

Invictus Health 能提供哪些協助

Our psychologists and counsellors deliver Mental Health First Aid training for individuals and for organisations, on site or online.

Through our workplace programs, we also offer Mental Health First Aid for leaders and boards, which considers how MHFA skills apply to leadership and governance roles, along with leadership coaching and culture training. To discuss options, 聯絡我們.

This article is general information and not legal advice. Speak with a qualified professional about your organisation’s situation.