Mental Health First Aid

Mental Health First Aid is an 8-hour course that teaches you how to help someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis.  The training helps you identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders.

Weather the storm…

Before you can know how to help, you need to know when to help. We call this mental health literacy –or a basic understanding of the different mental illnesses and addictions.

Just as CPR helps you assist an individual having a heart attack —even if you have no clinical training— MHFA helps you assist someone experiencing a mental health related crisis. In the MHFA course, you learn risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns, strategies for how to help someone in both crisis and non-crisis situations, and where to turn for help.

MHFA Adult

The adult Mental Health First Aid course is appropriate for anyone 18 years and older who wants to learn how to help a person who may be experiencing a mental health related crisis or problem. Topics covered include anxiety, depression, psychosis, and addictions.

Course participants come from a variety of backgrounds and play various roles in a community.

MHFA Youth

Youth Mental Health First Aid is designed to teach parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, health and human services workers and other caring citizens how to help an adolescent (age 12-18) who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or is in crisis.

Youth MHFA is primarily designed for adults who regularly interact with young people.

MHFA USA is listed in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices .  This searchable database helps the public find programs and practices that may best meet their needs.

Military MHFA

Mental Health First Aid is a valuable resource that can make a difference in the lives of the more than 22 million veterans, their families, and the communities they live in.

Family members and personnel working with military and families are often not aware of how to engage veterans with mental illnesses and addictions. In addition to the impact of military service on the veteran, each has a circle of family (significant other, children, parents, siblings, etc.) and friends who are also impacted by their military service.