Staff from Liverpool Housing Trust (LHT), part of Vicinity Group, have qualified in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) after undertaking a course provided by Richmond Fellowship, a specialist provider of mental health services.

LHT’s Housing and Support Team staff completed the training at the end of last year and have become amongst the first people in the country, outside Richmond Fellowship to achieve the qualification.

MHFA is the help given to someone experiencing a mental health problem before professional help is obtained. The aims are:

• to preserve life where a person may be a danger to themselves or others
• to provide help to prevent the mental health problems developing into a more serious state
• to promote the recovery of good mental health
• to provide comfort to a person experiencing a mental health problem

Lorraine Julius, Service Manager/MHFA Instructor said: “MHFA does not teach people to be therapists. However, it does teach people how to recognise the symptoms of mental health problems, how to provide initial help and how to guide a person towards appropriate professional help. LHT are one of the first organisations in the supported housing sector to recognise the value of this training."

Rob Hart, LHT Tenancy Support Officer added: “This training has helped us to better understand mental health problems and to provide a support service that can recognise and respond to individual needs.”