The idea behind mental health first aiders is genuinely good. Having trained, visible people in an organisation that colleagues can turn to, people who aren’t HR and aren’t a manager, just a human being who knows how to listen and what to do next. That matters.
The problem isn’t the idea. It’s what happens to those people once the training ends.
Because in most of the organisations I go into, the first aiders are unclear on what they’re actually supposed to do. Where their responsibility starts. Where it ends. How they connect back to HR, to the EAP, or to a line manager when something serious comes up.
And that lack of clarity creates two very different but equally damaging outcomes.
Two ways it goes wrong
The first is that they hold back. They’re worried about saying the wrong thing. Getting it wrong. Making things worse. So they do very little, and the person who needed support doesn’t get it.
The second is that they take on far too much. Nobody taught them how to hold a boundary. Nobody explained that their role is first response, not ongoing counselling. And so they carry people. For weeks. Sometimes months. Until they burn out.
Neither outcome helps the person who was struggling. And neither is fair on the first aider who volunteered for the role in good faith.
This is why Understand Your Role and Limits is a core step in our REACH OUT framework. Not because we want to limit what people can do, but because clarity about the role is what makes it sustainable. A first aider who knows exactly where their responsibility ends is far more effective, and far more protected, than one who’s been left to figure it out alone.
Legislation sets a floor, not a standard
There’s another layer to this that I think is worth naming directly.
There is real and increasing pressure on organisations to demonstrate they’re taking reasonable steps on mental health. Train people. Have systems in place. Show a paper trail. That pressure is only going to grow.
But legislation gives you a framework. It doesn’t create a culture.
You can comply with every requirement, have your first aiders trained and certified, your EAP number in the handbook, your wellbeing policy on the intranet, and still have an organisation where people don’t feel safe to say they’re not okay. The box is ticked. The problem isn’t solved.
Compliance is a floor, not a ceiling. The organisations that treat it as a ceiling are the ones where the systems exist and nobody uses them.
What first aiders actually need
Making this role work comes down to three things, and most organisations are missing at least two of them.
First, first aiders need to know exactly what the role is. Not in the abstract terms of a qualification handbook, but in the specific context of their organisation. Who do they escalate to? What does that conversation look like? What happens after they’ve signposted someone?
Second, they need to know how to hold the boundary. How to genuinely support someone without absorbing their distress indefinitely. How to close a conversation well and hand things on. The Take Care of Yourself step in REACH OUT exists for exactly this reason.
Third, they need somewhere to turn when things get difficult. A first aider who has just had a heavy conversation with a colleague needs support too. If that isn’t built into the structure of the role, the role will eventually take its toll.
Training that sets first aiders up properly
Our Mental Health First Aid training is built around all of this. We don’t just certify people and send them back to their desks. We make sure they understand the REACH OUT framework in the context of their specific organisation, their specific culture, and the real situations they’re likely to face.
They also leave with our learner app, so that when something happens in three months’ time and they need to remember exactly how to open a conversation or where to signpost, it’s right there. Not filed away in a workbook they’ve lost.
And if you want to go further than the qualification itself, our bespoke training builds in the structural piece too. We look at your policies and procedures, where the role connects to the rest of the organisation, and make sure your first aiders aren’t just trained but properly set up to do the job.
If your organisation has first aiders who aren’t sure what they’re doing
That’s a more common situation than most people want to admit. And it’s fixable. Take a look at our Mental Health First Aid training or our bespoke training options, or get in touch and we can talk through what your first aiders actually need right now.
