Since becoming a qualified MHFA instructor in 2017, despite thoroughly enjoying facilitating MHFA training, I held a fairly firm view that it shouldn’t be the first wellbeing intervention a company invests in. I believed organisations needed to get the fundamentals right first such as clear processes, leadership capability, psychological safety, and a coherent wellbeing strategy. Because of this I sometimes downplayed the value of MHFA training.
But over time, working closely with clients across different industries, my perspective has shifted. Not because the fundamentals aren’t important and they absolutely are, but because I’ve seen MHFA act as the catalyst for a much bigger wellbeing journey. For many organisations MHFA is the first meaningful step that opens the door to deeper conversations, stronger relationships, and more strategic work that follows.
At Illuminate, MHFA training (whether in-house or open courses held within the community) has repeatedly been the entry point through which clients have come to trust our expertise, see the impact of structured wellbeing support, and then partner with us on broader initiatives.
I wanted to explore in this article, why MHFA is often the start of an employer’s wellbeing journey and how to ensure you get the most value from it at every level of the business.
The evidence: MHFA delivers tangible benefits
MHFA is not just a “nice-to-have” or a tick-box awareness session. Research consistently shows its impact:
- A major international meta-analysis found that MHFA training improves mental health knowledge, recognition of disorders, and beliefs about effective treatment, while also reducing stigma and increasing confidence in offering support.
- MHFA increases intentions to provide support and enhances the ability to respond appropriately in both crisis and non-crisis situations.
- MHFA is accredited, widely recognised, and provides a certificate that contributes to employee CPD, which many participants value.
- MHFA helps participants build self-awareness around their own mental health, which is often an unexpected but powerful outcome.
The above research can be found via MHFA England. These benefits alone make MHFA a worthwhile investment and there is nothing wrong with stopping here but there are more benefits to be gained.
Why MHFA is often the start of the journey
It opens the first real conversation about wellbeing
Before training even begins, the initial scoping conversations provide rich insight into:
- Company culture and demographics
- Employee challenges and pressures
- Existing support structures
- Gaps in safeguarding or escalation processes
This early dialogue often reveals underlying issues that haven’t yet been named from inconsistent line manager capability to unclear wellbeing responsibilities to risk factors of stress.
The training room becomes a diagnostic tool
Over two days, a skilled facilitator gains a deep understanding of:
- Themes employees are worried about e.g. workload, culture, psychological safety
- Trends in stress, burnout, or interpersonal issues
- What is working well for employee wellbeing
- Gaps in knowledge and capability
Common findings include the need for clearer safeguarding processes, better signposting pathways, manager training in conversations and boundaries and more consistent communication about wellbeing support. These can often be implemented quickly and at low cost.
It builds trust and opens the door to strategic work
Once MHFAiders are trained, organisations often realise they need more support in terms of gathering more in-depth data, leadership development, awareness raising on specific hot topics, tailored resources / signposting and a structured wellbeing strategy (or guidance on an existing strategy)
Because the facilitator has already spent two days immersed in the business context, they are uniquely positioned to design bespoke initiatives that genuinely fit.
Getting the communication right after the training
MHFA works best when the wider organisation understands what MHFAiders do, how and when to contact them, what confidentiality means and what other support is available internally and externally.
Clear communication builds trust and ensures MHFAiders are used effectively, both proactively and reactively as well as ensuring their own safety and boundaries are in place.
Conclusion: MHFA is a beginning, not an end
While MHFA shouldn’t replace the fundamentals, it often becomes the spark that helps organisations recognise what those fundamentals need to be.
When delivered well and embedded thoughtfully MHFA can transform not just individual confidence and capability, but the entire trajectory of an organisation’s wellbeing journey.
Client case study
Completing a two-day MHFA course is not the end point. It’s the start of a culture shift.
Sometimes, reviewing MHFA uptake reveals deeper cultural issues. For example, one client saw very few employees approaching their MHFAiders. Rather than assuming the training “wasn’t working,” we explored the underlying reasons and discovered that psychological safety was too low for people to feel comfortable sharing. What I mean by this is that people did not feel able to show vulnerability, felt judged if they asked for help or gave feedback and did not feel heard within the team.
Small but targeted changes made a significant difference:
- Managers holding regular, meaningful 1:1s and building trust with their team members
- Clear messaging about confidentiality
- Team connection activities to build trust
- Manager upskilling on ways of demonstrating psychological safety e.g. welcoming feedback, acknowledging suggestions and ideas and giving space to listen
Within months, employees began reaching out more openly, and the MHFAiders became an integral part of the wellbeing ecosystem.
Want to know more?
Get in touch via email – support@illuminatevr.co.uk. We would love to learn more about your business and how you feel MHFA fits in to your wider strategy.
You can book onto an open course via our MHFA England profile page. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page you will see our upcoming 2-day and refresher courses.