Soundcastle Training

Mental Health
First Aid Training

Delivered by leading community arts practitioners that champion the power of creativity to support positive mental health

Upcoming Training

There are still some tickets left for our upcoming training sessions – see you there!

Next Training: London

Next Training: Online

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Why train in mental health first aid?

Awareness of the importance of supporting mental health is growing nationally, so there’s no better time to:

Raise awareness of mental health within your organisation and beyond
Promote wellbeing in your workplace
Create a positive and supportive environment for your team
Challenge stigma around mental health
Understand factors that can impact mental health
Develop the skills to support the mental health of your communities

Soundcastle is an award-winning, women-led charity, delivering innovative community arts programmes across the South East, and training and consultancy across the UK.

We run transformational, embedded music programmes which increase confidence, reduce isolation and enhance wellbeing in communities facing challenges. We support the mental health of people facing social inequality and we use music and singing to support people to be happier and healthier in their everyday lives.

We deliver validated MHFA training courses, inspired by our practice in community spaces and run consultancy in community engagement, youth voice and wellbeing in the workplace.

We are:

Sector leaders promoting wellbeing and mental health awareness
Practitioners with lived experience of mental health challenges
Friendly and empathetic trainers
Advocates for positive change and breaking stigma
5 star rated on Google

Training options and costs

For Individuals

Levels 1 & 2

Our training is designed to be modular and flexible. You can start with a half day Mental Health First Aid Awareness training or a one day Mental Health First Aider Training: ideal for freelancers or individual members of a team. Costs start at £125.

We deliver training online, and offer in person sessions in London and East Sussex.

Costs start at £110 per person in groups of 16 to 20 people.

For those working with young people we can provide specialist Youth Mental Health First Aid Training.

Level 3

Following on from a Level 2 qualification you can access the next level that in addition incorporates and explores in-depth topics and mental health conditions in more detail. This 2-day course will train you as a Mental Health First Aid Supervisor, enabling you to support and maintain good MHFA practice in yourself and others.

Refresher Training

We recommend that refresher training is undertaken annually to keep your skills and knowledge up to date. Please contact us to find out more.

For Organisations

Levels 1, 2 & 3

For a more tailored offer for organisations, we can deliver the MHFA qualifications in house for your team. This training is tailored in response to your team’s particular mental health & wellbeing needs. Costs start at £1,750 per day for groups of up to 10 trainees and can be scaled as needed for the size of your team. Sessions can be delivered online or in person, at your location, across the UK.

By including senior staff members in the sessions, we can support you to initiate and develop a positive mental health and wellbeing cultural shift within your organisation.

Additional follow up training & consultation

We can support you as your strategies grow, providing follow up consultation to embed improved mental health and wellbeing practices into your everyday working environment.

We can work with you to develop bespoke strategies and tools:

Wellness action plans
Wellbeing strategies
Mental health and wellbeing policies

Staff consultations
Community consultations
Supervision frameworks

Meet the trainers...

This is Hannah:

Hannah Dunster is a Soundcastle Co-Director and leads our Sussex music for mental health recovery programmes. She is a NUCO qualified First Aid Mental Health Trainer and SE Champion of the Culture Health & Wellbeing Alliance. She has a masters in Music Leadership from Guildhall School of Music & Drama and is an EMCC Qualified Coach.

Kate Golledge is a freelance theatre director and NUCO qualified First Aid Mental Health Trainer. She has a degree in Theatre Directing from the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts. She is Head of New Work for the National Youth Music Theatre, and Associate Artist of the Singapore Theatre Company. She is currently working with Disney Music Group to develop a world tour of a brand new entertainment format.

Meet Kate:

This is Gail:

Gail Macleod is a Soundcastle Co-Director and leads our London music for mental health recovery programmes. She is a NUCO qualified First Aid Mental Health Trainer and our Designated Safeguarding Lead. She has a masters in Music Leadership from Guildhall School of Music & Drama and is an EMCC Qualified Coach.

Assessment

Is carried out by one of our friendly trainers at the end of the training. It involves both a practical demonstration of first aid for mental health and a multiple-choice question paper.

Certification

Is awarded upon successful completion of the assessment. Qualifications are valid for three years. The learner will need to complete the full course again to requalify for a further three years.

Accreditation

Is provided by our training partner NUCO Training. NUCO have been training for 25 years and are regulated by Ofqual. Qualifications are recognised by the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) and The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SCQF).