Mental Health First Aid Training for Allied Health Clinical Educators: A Pre- and Post-Evaluation

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Mental Health Support
• Workplace Well-being

Background:

• Health profession students frequently encounter mental health challenges during their training.
• Clinical educators often lack confidence in addressing and supporting students experiencing mental health difficulties.
• There is a need for effective interventions to equip educators with essential mental health support skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a customized Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training program.
• To assess changes in clinical educators' knowledge, perceptions, intentions, and confidence regarding student mental health support.
• To determine the effectiveness of MHFA training in a tertiary health service setting.

Main Methods:

• A two-day customized Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) course was delivered to 24 allied health clinical educators.
• Pre- and post-training assessments were administered to measure changes in key outcomes.
• Quantitative data were analyzed using independent t-tests, and qualitative data underwent thematic content analysis.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements were observed in educators' mental health knowledge (p < 0.001).
• A significant increase in confidence to manage students with mental health issues was reported (p < 0.001).
• Intentions to assist improved, though not always significantly, with a notable shift in perception regarding the dangerousness of individuals in scenarios.

Conclusions:

• The MHFA training program effectively enhanced clinical educators' knowledge of mental health.
• The intervention significantly boosted educators' confidence in supporting students with mental health concerns.
• The program positively influenced perceptions and intentions, contributing to a more supportive learning environment for health profession students.