Training that reflects rural working life
Connect the recognised SMHFA programme to the realities of gamekeeping, estate work, isolation, field-based responsibilities and the pressures that can come with working in rural settings.
Programme information
About Scotland's Mental Health First Aid
Scotland's Mental Health First Aid (SMHFA) is an established 12-hour programme that must be delivered by a qualified SMHFA instructor. Programme quality is continuously monitored by Public Health Scotland.
This tailored version keeps the recognised SMHFA programme intact while making the discussion, examples and context more relevant to gamekeeping and estate work. The core learning remains SMHFA; the tailoring sits in how that learning is facilitated and connected to the pressures people may encounter in rural and field-based roles.
Green Ribbons brings a strong rural-informed perspective to the delivery, helping participants relate the course to working patterns, responsibilities and environments that can feel very different from a conventional workplace.
Overview
About this course
Gamekeeping can involve long hours, physical work, unpredictable schedules and significant periods spent working alone or in remote locations. The role can also bring responsibility for land, wildlife and animal welfare, difficult weather, public scrutiny, financial or employment uncertainty, and situations that require calm decision-making under pressure.
None of those things means someone will experience poor mental health. But in a working culture where people may be used to getting on with the job, it can sometimes be difficult to notice when stress is building, start a conversation or ask for support.
This tailored SMHFA course gives gamekeepers and estate teams a practical framework for recognising when someone may be struggling, approaching a conversation, listening without judgement and offering appropriate initial support. It also covers mental health crisis and suicide risk, while keeping clear boundaries around what a Mental Health First Aider can and cannot be expected to do.
Is this course right for your group?
Designed for
Gamekeepers, head keepers, estate staff, managers and others working alongside gamekeeping teams who want a recognised, practical framework for supporting mental health conversations in rural and field-based working environments.
Particularly useful if
- People often work alone, across large areas or at a distance from colleagues and services.
- Long or irregular hours, physical demands, weather and seasonal pressures can make it harder to notice when stress is building.
- Your team would benefit from greater confidence recognising when someone may be struggling and knowing how to approach them.
- Mental health is not always an easy subject to raise within rural, land-based or traditionally self-reliant working cultures.
- You want the recognised SMHFA programme delivered in a way that reflects gamekeeping and estate life rather than treating it as a generic workplace setting.
