Mental Health First Aid

  • Adult Mental Health First Aid

    Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among adults.

  • Youth Mental Health First Aid

    Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among children and adolescents ages 12-18.

  • Teen Mental Health First Aid

    Build a powerful community of teens ages 15-18 by teaching them how to support a friend or classmate with the evidence-based teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) course.

Adult Mental Health First Aid

Adult mental Health First Aid

WHY MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID? Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among adults.

  • 130 people/day die by suicide (Source: AFSP)

  • 841,000 died from drug overdoses 1999-2019 (Source: CDC)

  • Nearly 1 in 5 in the U.S. lives with mental illness (Source: NIMH)

    WHAT IT COVERS

  • Common signs and symptoms of mental health challenges.

  • Common signs and symptoms of substance use challenges.

  • How to interact with a person in crisis.

  • How to connect a person with help.

  • Expanded content on trauma, substance use and self-care

    THREE WAYS TO LEARN

  • In-person (2nd Edition) – Learners receive their training during a 7.5-hour, Instructor-led, in-person session.

  • Blended – Learners complete a 2-hour, self-paced online course, and participate in a 4.5- to 5.5-hour, Instructor-led training. This Instructor-led Training can be: »

    • A video conference.

    • An in-person class.

Youth Mental Health First Aid

WHY YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID? Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among children and adolescents ages 12-18.

  • 10.2% youth face substance use disorder. (Source: YMHFA.)

  • 1 in 5 teens have mental health conditions. (Source: NIMH)

  • 50% mental illnesses start by age 14, 75% by mid-20s. (Source: Archives of General Psychiatry).

    WHAT MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID COVERS

  • Common signs and symptoms of mental health challenges in this age group, including anxiety, depression, eating disorders and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD).

  • Common signs and symptoms of substance use challenges.

  • How to interact with a child or adolescent in crisis.

  • How to connect the youth with help.

  • Expanded content on trauma, substance use, self-care and the impact of social media and bullying.

    THREE WAYS TO LEARN

  • In-person (2nd Edition) – Learners receive their training during a 6.5-hour, Instructor-led, in-person session.

  • Blended – Learners complete a 2-hour, self-paced online course, and participate in a 4.5- to 5.5-hour, Instructor-led training.

    This Instructor-led Training can be: » A video conference. » An in-person class.

Teen Mental Health First Aid

WHY MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID?

Build a powerful community of teens ages 15-18 by teaching them how to support a friend or classmate with the evidence-based teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) course. Adolescence is a time of critical change and development. It’s when mental health challenges may first emerge and may be the cause for falling grades, problems with close relationships and substance use. Young people will be prepared to provide support for their peers as well as better cope with mental health challenges themselves. tMHFA was brought to the United States by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing in partnership with Born This Way Foundation, and is tailored to the unique experiences and needs of young people. Its plain language ensures learners at all reading levels can easily follow along

  • 1 in 5 US teens experience mental health challenge by age 18.

  • Many don't seek help.

  • Suicide is 3rd leading cause of death for ages 15-19.

    WHAT IT COVERS

  • How to open the conversation about mental health and substance use challenges.

  • Common signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges.

  • The impact of school violence and bullying on mental wellbeing.

  • How to seek the help of a responsible and trusted adult.

WHO SHOULD TAKE IT: Teens in grades 10-12 or ages 15-18.

WHO SHOULD TEACH IT: High schools, organizations partnering with a high school, youth-serving organizations.

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