Youth Mental Health First Aid Blended Course

PLEASE NOTE: According to the rules of certification you must attend both days for all of the scheduled time. If you miss more than 10 minutes of a session, you will not qualify for your certification per the national certifier.

This course includes two hours of asynchronous content that must be completed prior to the start of class.

We need a minimum of five people to run this course. If the course is canceled, you may choose to move to another date or receive a complete refund.

MHFA is skills-based training that teaches people how to identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of a mental health or substance use challenge. 

Similar to physical First Aid and CPR, MHFA helps you assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis until professional assistance is obtained or the crisis is resolved. 

Mental Health First Aiders learn a 5-step Action Plan to recognize warning signs of a mental health or substance use challenge, provide help in crisis and non-crisis situations and understand where to turn for additional assistance. 

» The 5-step Action Plan (ALGEE) is: Assess for risk of suicide or harm; listen nonjudgmentally; give reassurance and information; encourage appropriate professional help; and encourage self-help and other support strategies.

Through MHFA, more than 3 million people in the U.S. have been trained by thousands of certified Instructors to identify, understand, and respond to signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges. 

Peer-reviewed studies have proven that trained Mental Health First Aiders are more knowledgeable and confident when it comes to identifying and helping an individual in distress. 

The new MHFA curriculum gives First Aiders working definitions for trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It describes the types of crises associated with trauma and emphasizes the importance of early intervention following a traumatic event. First Aiders receive clear guidance for supporting someone immediately after a traumatic event, as well as over the time that follows. This added instruction on trauma will help First Aiders better assess and respond to situations where they encounter someone dealing with trauma related to COVID-19 or other events. 

The MHFA curriculum helps First Aiders understand what self-care is and the various forms it can take. The curriculum demonstrates how self-care is important to resilience and recovery, and then helps First Aiders develop their own self-care action plans that they can use to navigate traumas and stressors