The ALGEE/ALGES Action Plan in Mental Health First Aid: A Guide
The ALGEE (also known as ALGES in Canada) action plan was co-founded by two principal figures: Betty Kitchener, a nurse and health education instructor, and Professor Anthony Jorm, a respected mental health literacy researcher.
Their shared goal was to improve the public’s mental health literacy—the knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders—and equip ordinary citizens with the essential skills to provide initial support, thereby helping to reduce the pervasive stigma surrounding mental illness.
What is the ALGEE Action Plan?
The acronym ALGEE represents the structured, five-step action plan used in the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training program. It's a simple, memorable guide designed for non-experts to offer initial support during a mental health challenge or crisis until professional help can be engaged.
The five actionable steps of the ALGEE plan are:
Assess for risk of suicide or harm.
Listen non-judgementally.
Give reassurance and information.
Encourage appropriate professional help.
Encourage self-help and other support strategies.
Canadian Adaptation: The ALGES Action Plan
While the core principles remain consistent, the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Action Plan has been adapted for use in Canada. The Canadian version, known as ALGES, streamlines the support steps while placing a greater emphasis on the self-care of the Mental Health First Aider (MHFAider).
This structure integrates the two "Encourage" steps into a single category (E) and formally recognizes self-care (S) as a mandatory and critical component of the action plan for every MHFAider.
Who Can Use the ALGEE Action Plan?
The ALGEE action plan is specifically designed for use by non-experts who have completed Mental Health First Aid training. These individuals, known as Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAiders), come from every walk of life, including:
Friends and Family Members: To support loved ones.
Colleagues and Managers: To assist co-workers in the workplace.
Teachers, Coaches, and Youth Leaders: To support students and young people.
Community Members and Volunteers: To provide immediate support in public settings.
The ALGEE plan is designed for use in both crisis situations (like suicidal thoughts or panic attacks) and non-crisis situations (like noticing the early signs of depression or anxiety).
The Actionable Steps of ALGEE
The five steps provide a framework for supportive and safe intervention:
1. A: Assess the Situation (Safety, Environment, and Need)
This is the foundational step that determines if the person is in immediate danger, if the environment is suitable, and what kind of support they require.
Assess Yourself: Take a moment to check your own feelings, biases, and capacity to help. Ensure your tone and messages are non-judgmental and empathetic.
Self-awareness ensures you can maintain an effective, supportive presence and don't project your own anxiety or opinions.
Assess the Environment: Ensure the location is private, calm, and free from distractions. If you are in a crowded, high-stress area, guide the person to a quieter, safer spot.
An appropriate setting helps the person feel secure and encourages open communication.
Assess Risk of Harm: Determine if the person is in immediate danger of harming themselves or others. Ask directly: "Are you thinking about suicide?" If risk is high, do not leave them alone.
Safety is the first priority. Engaging emergency services (like 911) or a crisis line is critical if the risk is severe.
Assess Level of Need: Based on your observations and listening, determine the immediate level of help required (e.g., immediate professional crisis support vs. just needing a listening ear and gentle advice).
This steers the rest of the ALGEE process, ensuring you offer the most relevant suggestions and services.
2. L: Listen Non-Judgmentally
This step emphasizes creating a safe, confidential space where the person feels heard, and involves observing cues to determine their needs.
Use Active Listening: Maintain comfortable eye contact, nod to show you are engaged, and paraphrase what you hear to check for understanding (e.g., "So, if I understand correctly, you are feeling really overwhelmed since the job change?").
It builds rapport and trust; encourages the person to continue sharing.
Observe Cues for Needs: Pay attention to their language, tone, and body language. Are they asking questions (looking for information)? Are they expressing loneliness or fear (looking for reassurance)? Are they simply rambling (looking for a listener)?
Interpreting these cues allows you to transition smoothly to the next appropriate step in ALGEE (G, E, or E).
Avoid Dismissive Language: Do not use phrases like "Just tough it out," "Everyone gets stressed," or "You have nothing to worry about."
Judgmental language invalidates the person's distress. Respect their current perspective.
3. Give Reassurance and Information
Once the person feels heard, offer emotional support and relevant facts. Note that this step explicitly includes information.
Offer Hope and Normalize: Reassure the person that recovery is possible and that many people experience similar challenges and find effective help. It counteracts feelings of hopelessness and isolation.
Provide Factual Information: When appropriate, offer general facts about the mental health challenge they may be facing (e.g., common symptoms of anxiety, or general advice on what to expect from a professional). This helps to demystify the experience and encourages movement toward the next steps.
Provide Practical Help: This can be as simple as offering a drink, helping them find a quiet place, or assisting them in contacting a trusted family member. We want to provide immediate comfort and helps stabilize the situation.
4. E: Encourage Appropriate Support (Professional, Self-Help, and Social)
This final, combined step focuses on linking the person to long-term support, which includes professional services, self-management strategies, and tapping into social networks.
Encourage Self-Help Strategies: Discuss proven coping mechanisms like light exercise, spending time in nature, developing a routine, avoiding alcohol/substances, or engaging in relaxing hobbies. Self-help gives the person a sense of control and agency over their own well-being and recovery process.
Encourage Social Support: Encourage them to reach out to supportive friends, family members, or community supports. Current social networks leverages existing social resources to reduce isolation and build a supportive network.
Encourage Professional Help: Suggest specific types of professionals, such as a family physician, a licensed counsellor, a psychologist, a psychiatrist, or an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). It encourages the next steps toward treatment, overcoming the barrier of not knowing where to start.
Offer Practical Assistance for Referrals: If the person agrees, offer to help them look up phone numbers, navigate provincial health services, or even accompany them to the first appointment (if appropriate and welcomed). This provides destigmatized human connection and logistical support, overcoming common barriers to seeking help.
The ALGEE action plan pairs seamlessly with frameworks like The Mental Health Continuum (often used in workplace training, such as The Working Mind). The Continuum provides a non-stigmatizing, objective perspective by allowing you to observe where someone is functioning (from "Healthy" to "Ill") based on observable signs.
Once you've used the Continuum to Assess the change in their state, the ALGEE framework gives you the immediate, actionable steps (Listen, Give Reassurance, Encourage) required to provide support tailored to that observed need. This combination ensures a supportive, objective approach from assessment through to action.
Foundational Research: The Psychology Behind ALGEE
The MHFA step of encouraging help is a direct implementation of these empirical findings. ALGEE leverages proven protective factors—social connection and clinical intervention—to stabilize the person's situation and counteract the isolation that often accompanies mental distress. The effectiveness of ALGEE is rooted in key psychological principles:
Person-Centred ('L'): Non-judgmental listening models the core conditions identified by Carl Rogers: Accurate Empathy, Unconditional Positive Regard (UPR), and Congruence (Genuineness). This approach is essential for validating the person's distress and reducing shame. See: Rogers, C. R. (1957). The necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change.
Self-Regulation ('A'): An MHFAider's capacity to help is linked to their own emotional intelligence (EI). By assessing themselves, they ensure they are regulated enough to use adaptive coping strategies, rather than projecting their own stress onto the situation. See: Zeidner, M., Matthews, G., & Roberts, R. D. (2012). Emotional intelligence, coping with stress, and adaptation.
The Stress-Buffering Hypothesis ('EE'): Encouraging social support and self-help is scientifically backed, as social support acts as a powerful buffer against psychological distress, directly countering feelings of isolation and activating the person's ability to cope. See: Cohen, S., & Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis.
The ALGEE model is empirically proven because its five steps are direct, practical applications of core psychological principles, each formally defined and validated by major figures in therapeutic science.
Evidence of Impact on the Mental Health First Aider
Extensive research, often conducted through systematic reviews, consistently shows that MHFA training utilizing the ALGEE framework is highly effective in improving outcomes for the person providing support:
Increased Mental Health Literacy: Trainees show significant improvement in their ability to recognize symptoms of mental health problems and crises.
Enhanced Confidence and Intentions to Help: First Aiders report markedly higher confidence in assisting someone in distress, and they show a stronger intention to offer support using the ALGEE steps.
Observed Helping Behaviour: Studies have found evidence that MHFA trainees apply the principles of the five-step ALGEE approach in real-life helping situations, often acting with less stigma than they would have before the training.
Evidence of Impact on the Recipient (The Person in Need)
While research on the direct, long-term impact on the recipient’s recovery is more complex, the consensus is clear:
Crucial Bridge to Care: The immediate, non-judgmental support provided through ALGEE is essential for de-escalation and safety in a crisis. The framework is powerful because it simultaneously reduces shame through non-judgmental support and provides a practical pathway directly to professional care, acting as a lifeline when the person needs it most.
Supporting Capacity: The evidence confirms that MHFA and the ALGEE plan successfully build mental health capacity and preparedness within communities and workplaces, empowering non-professionals to act as reliable first responders.
Your community needs First Aiders.
You've now mastered the theory behind ALGEE—the five-step plan proven to provide compassionate, non-judgmental support in a crisis. But theory alone isn't enough. The next step is completing a certified Mental Health First Aid course to gain the confidence and clarity needed to act in real-life situations.
Looking to build a more resilient and supportive team?
See exactly how MHFA can transform your workplace culture, reduce presenteeism, and equip your staff with vital skills in our Ultimate Guide to Workplace MHFA.
