Mental Health First Aid in the Performing Arts

Course Overview

This course will increase your confidence and skills to provide support for anyone experiencing psychological distress on a first aid basis. The course is tailored for those working in the theatre industry. At the end of the course you will be a qualified Mental Health First Aider.

Suitable For:

• Simply, the course is open to anyone! If you would like to increase your awareness, understand the importance of mental health issues and learn the skills to be a mental health first aider then this is the course for you.

Why train your people as MHFAiders®?

MHFAiders® are essential to maintaining employee wellbeing. By training with us your people will gain:

• A deeper understanding of mental health and the factors that can affect people’s wellbeing
• Practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues
• The confidence to step in and support someone in the workplace by guiding them to appropriate support
• Three years access to the MHFAider Support App® with 24/7 digital support
• Access to exclusive resources, ongoing learning opportunities, and the benefit of joining England’s largest community of trained MHFAiders®

Course Outline

• Language and mental health issues
• What is mental health?
• Mental health problems
• Supporting people in distress
• Our own emotional wellbeing

Learning Outcomes

• Be able to identify the discrimination surrounding mental health problems.
• Be able to define mental health & some mental health problems.
• Be able to relate to people’s experiences.
• Be able to spot the signs of a wide range of common mental health issues in themselves and others around them.
• Be taught how to provide help and reassurance on a first aid basis

Trainer

Maria Pattinson provides Mental Health First Aid training for theatre organisations. She has a thirty year career of working in the industry herself as a producer and director and draws upon that to make the course specifically relevant to theatre practitioners. During the pandemic, Maria designed and ran sessions on Resilience in the Performing Arts for companies and presented a webinar on the topic as part of Theatre Means Business. For more information go to www.outiscompany.org.uk

Tickets

This is a in-person course. The trainer will be attending in-person at Rose Street.

EARLYBIRD - 10 x Earlybird tickets are available to SOLT & UK Theatre Members if booked before Thursday 5 February 2026*.

*SOLT & UK Theatre reserve the right to close Earlybird tickets early depending on allocation.

Course Dates & Times

Thursday 19 March 2026 10:00 - 17:00

Friday 19 March 2026 10:00 - 17:00

Refunds and Cancellations

You can cancel up until 10 working days prior to the course, and receive a full refund (not including Eventbrite Fee's, which are non-refundable). Any cancellations after this will not be refunded, but tickets can be transferred to a future course up to one year later.

Read our full event Terms & Conditions here.

Accessibility Information

Please visit the SOLT & UK Theatre Accessibility page on our website for detailed information.

• Attendees who require a Carer or Personal Assistant to accompany them on the course can book a free Carer ticket by emailing [email protected]
• Ramp access at ground floor level (there is otherwise one step into the building).
• Reception and conference rooms are located on the first floor of the building. This can be accessed by the lift or via 25 stairs. Accessible toilets are available on the first and second floors.
• Assistance Dogs welcome throughout the building and to all events - the nearest park is Victoria Embankment Gardnes (by Embankment tube station - 0.4 miles away).
• Hearing loop systems are available in the meeting and conference rooms.
• Regular breaks will be scheduled throughout the day.

Please email [email protected] if you have any additional access requirements or questions.

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