FAMHFirst Aid for Mental Health

Would you know what to say?

Help your employees recognise the signs, respond with confidence, and know where to point a struggling colleague — so mental health stops being the thing nobody talks about.

Mental health struggles are common at work. Knowing how to respond isn't.

Most people were never shown how

We train people to respond to a broken wrist, but not to a colleague who's clearly struggling. So the moment passes, and nothing is said.

Silence makes it harder

Stigma and awkwardness don't protect anyone. They leave people managing something difficult on their own, for far longer than they need to.

Untrained response has a cost

It leads to avoidable absence, presenteeism, and people leaving quietly rather than asking for help they didn't know was available.

Teams depend on a first response

Every team needs people who can respond calmly and appropriately — not diagnose, not fix, but respond and point the way to real support.

The shift

From “not my place” to a confident first response.

Most people don't stay quiet because they don't care. They stay quiet because they're worried about saying the wrong thing and making it worse.

FAMH follows the first aid model exactly. You aren't asked to be a therapist any more than a physical first aider is asked to be a surgeon. You're trained to notice, respond well, and hand over to proper support.

That makes speaking up an ordinary part of working life — and gives your organisation a duty of care it can actually stand behind.

What we teach

Pillar 1

Recognising the signs

What changes to look for in behaviour, engagement and mood — in a colleague, or in yourself — and how to tell a hard week from something more.

Pillar 2

Responding with confidence

How to start the conversation, what to say and what to avoid, and how to listen without needing to have an answer ready.

Pillar 3

Signposting to support

Knowing what support exists inside and outside your organisation, and how to guide someone to it so the right help takes over.

Why it matters for your business

When people are equipped to respond, difficulties are met early instead of after a crisis. That means less absence, less presenteeism, better retention — and a duty of care backed by skills your people genuinely have.

Absence
Support reaching people before time off becomes necessary.
Retention
People stay where they can say something and be heard.
Duty of care
A trained, credible first response across your organisation.

Ready to build a team that knows how to respond?

Tell us about your team, your sites and your pressure points. We'll come back with a programme shaped around them.

Bring FAMH to your teamhello@humansustainability.co.uk