Mental Health First Aid - Police
MHFA Police is an adaptation of the MHFA Basic course that is tailored to the needs of police. MHFA Police focuses on improving police interactions where mental health may be an issue.
On this page
Participants build the knowledge, skills, and confidence to respond effectively to someone who may be experiencing a mental health issue or crisis.
The course is intended for police services and their support staff across Canada. It is delivered through 30 minutes of online learning followed by 8 hours in-class.
Course Topics: Pre-Classroom, Online.
MHFA Police was developed by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) in collaboration with police officers and mental health experts from across Canada. If you would like more information on training, please email mhfapolice@mentalhealthcommission.ca.
Course Topics: Pre-Classroom, Online
• Current situation: Frequency of police interactions with those in our community living with a mental health issue
• Challenge for Police: How to intervene to achieve positive outcomes?
• Course aims and objectives
• Terminology
• Mental Health Acts by Province
• Guiding documents
• Self-Assessment
• Pre-Course Survey
Course model
In the MHFA course, you will gain a solid understanding of the 6 basic actions of ALGEES:
Approach the person, assess the situation
Listen actively and communicate non-judgementally
Give support and information
Encourage the person to get appropriate professional help
Encourage other supports
Self-care for the first aider
ALGEES is the framework for having a confident conversation about mental health with family, friends, colleagues and strangers.
Key outcomes
The aims of this course are to teach police how to:
- Apply the tools to respond appropriately to a mental health crisis
- Recognize indicators of possible mental health issues
- Support someone who may be experiencing a mental health issue
- Learn and integrate tools to maintain personal wellness as part of responding to a mental health issue or crisis.
Crisis first aid skills learned
- Panic attack
- Suicidal behaviour
- Psychotic episode
- Non-suicidal self-injury
- After a traumatic event
Course sections
1. Introduction
- Mental health in Canada and implications for police
- Value of MHFA for Police
- Current strategies
2. ALGEES Action
- Application of ALGEES to police scenarios
- Possible challenges
- Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours for using ALGEES effectively
3. ALGEES in Action
- Application of ALGEES to police scenarios
- Possible challenges
- Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours for using ALGEES effectively
4. Crisis Situations
- Suicide
- Non-Suicidal Self-Injury
- Severe Psychotic States
- Panic Attack
- Reaction to Trauma
5. Next Steps
- Identify 5 things you will take away from this course
- Create an action plan to implement 3 things you will do to apply what you learned
MHFA Resources
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