The contemporary working world has recently stopped viewing mental health as a luxury and instead recognizes it as an absolute necessity. Accordingly, programs such as Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) are becoming increasingly popular. But while MHFA may be a step in the right direction, the question is: Is that really enough to comprehensively address the complex mental health challenges in the workplace? Spoiler: It's a good start, but far from the end of the flag pole.
MHFA was developed in Australia in 2000 by Professor Tony Jorm and Betty Kitchener. Since then, the program has been established in 29 countries, and over 6 million people worldwide have completed the course. In a 12-hour course, participants acquire important knowledge and skills for first aid for mental health problems. They learn to understand various psychological burdens and crises, to recognize signs of psychological problems and to approach those affected with empathy.1, 2
Think of MHFA as a first-aid kit for the soul. It's great when someone knows how to stick on a band-aid or do chest compressions. It's the same with MHFA: It trains laypeople to provide first aid in the event of mental health crises. This is undoubtedly valuable and can, in particular, be a first starting point for taking far-reaching measures in acute situations.2 But here's the catch: psychotherapy or comprehensive prevention programs are far from replacing MHFA. For example, a Cochrane analysis from 2023 shows that there is little reliable evidence of long-term positive effects of MHFA training on mental health.3
Another critical issue is anonymity. At MHFA, employees must contact someone personally or the problems must be so obvious that they are addressed. This can be difficult in a work environment and often results in the program being barely used. The inhibition of having to reveal oneself is high and the fear of stigmatization is great. These factors contribute to the fact that many employees do not seek support despite existing problems.
mentalport consciously stands out from classic MHFA training courses through a holistic approach to promoting mental health in the workplace and offers both mental health interventions and information offerings as well as close support from experienced mental health experts. mentalport uses a combination of scientifically based methods such as acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and systemic coaching.
While MHFA tries to prepare for acute crises, mentalport is working proactively to ensure that mental stress does not even culminate in a crisis. With the clever mix of AI-supported coaching and human expertise, mentalport offers tailor-made solutions that are as individual as your teams themselves. From legally secure and anonymized psychological risk assessment to personalized coaching sessions — mentalport is the mental health management hub for companies.
So if you really want to invest in the mental health of your employees, mentalport is your go-to partner.
What are you waiting for? Take the step from first aid to holistic wellbeing. Your company — and your employees — will thank you for it!
1https://staffbase.com/blog-de/psychische-gesundheit-am-arbeitsplatz/
Lea Stupan is a mental health consultant at mentalport and specializes in implementing risk assessments of psychological stress in medium-sized companies. As a certified business coach and expert in occupational health management, she supports HR teams in implementing them in accordance with the ArbSchG. Her expertise includes change management, raising awareness of psychological stress and the development of tailor-made prevention strategies to reduce presentism and absenteeism.
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