Mental Health First Aid ALGEE: 5-step MHFA Action Plan
ALGEE: the mental health first aid action plan
What the letters mean, who uses the framework, and how to understand it without turning a conversation into a checklist.
Explore the five actionsGuidance checked 18 October 2026
What does ALGEE mean?
ALGEE is the five-part action plan used in the Mental Health First Aid programme. Its letters cover approaching someone and considering safety, listening, giving reassurance and information, encouraging professional help, and encouraging other support.
The explanations below summarise MHFA USA’s published ALGEE guidance. Wording can vary between programme materials. MHFA England also explicitly uses ALGEE in its refresher course. Follow the version taught on your course.
This is a plain-language overview, not a substitute for training or an emergency assessment tool. The examples concern ordinary supportive conversations. Immediate danger requires appropriate emergency help, not completion of all five letters.
The five actions, explained
Approach and consider immediate safety
The first action includes recognising possible risk of suicide or harm. Knowing the acronym does not qualify someone to carry out a clinical risk assessment.
For an everyday conversation
Ask whether the person would like to talk, and where they would feel comfortable. Check your role and the relevant escalation process before you need to use it.
Listen without judgement
Give the person room to describe their experience. Avoid interrupting with a label, comparison or ready-made solution.
For an everyday conversation
You could ask, “Would it help to talk about what has been difficult?” Then allow time for an answer. Do not insist that the person shares more than they want to.
Give reassurance and information
Acknowledge the person’s experience and offer useful, accurate information. Reassurance should not become a promise about recovery or a dismissal of their concern.
For an everyday conversation
“Thank you for telling me. If you would like, we can look at the support available.” Avoid claiming to know exactly how they feel or that everything will be fine.
Encourage appropriate professional help
Help the person consider professional support. You are offering information and a route to help, not choosing a treatment or diagnosing a condition.
For an everyday conversation
If they want help finding options, offer to locate the appropriate service information together. Confirm the service’s current access arrangements rather than promising an appointment or referral.
Encourage self-help and other support
This action includes the person’s own support network and preferences. Other support can sit alongside professional care; it should not be presented as a replacement.
For an everyday conversation
Ask whether there is someone they already trust or something they have previously found helpful. Do not prescribe your preferred activity or assume every person has the same support network.
Do you have to follow ALGEE in order?
No. The MHFA USA guidance describes flexible use in non-crisis situations, rather than a compulsory sequence. You may return to listening after discussing an option, and every conversation does not need every action.
For example, a colleague might already know which professional service they want to contact. They may need space to talk and help finding the right webpage, rather than a discussion of every possible support route. Let the person’s needs shape the conversation.
Flexibility does not mean overlooking safety or confidentiality. Work within your training, be clear about your availability and use your organisation’s escalation arrangements when necessary.
Three mistakes to avoid
- Turning the letters into a diagnostic checklist. Completing the actions cannot establish that someone is safe, diagnose a condition or determine what treatment they need.
- Rushing from listening to fixing. Ask what would be helpful before offering information. A long list of suggestions can be less useful than one agreed next step.
- Promising unlimited confidentiality or availability. Explain the workplace arrangements and your role. Do not create the expectation that you provide a confidential clinical service or are always on call.
For a broader explanation of the role, read what mental health first aid is. Our four aims guide explains the purpose behind initial support; the aims and ALGEE actions are different things.
Does every mental health first aid course teach ALGEE?
Do not assume that courses with similar names use the same curriculum or award. ALGEE belongs to the MHFA programme described above. Referencing it here does not mean that every first-aid qualification is an MHFA England course or that all providers are affiliated.
Our workplace first-aider course
Our Level 3 course leads to a Qualsafe qualification on successful assessment. It runs live online over two days, with a maximum of eight learners on public courses. The course page explains its syllabus, assessment and certification.
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