Youth Mental Health First Aid
Equips adults who teach, care for, or support young people with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to recognise, understand and respond to a young person experiencing a mental health problem or mental health crisis.
INTERVENE EARLY
Recognise the warning signs of mental health problems in young people.
OFFER SUPPORT
Learn the skills to have an open, supportive conversation about mental health.
RESPOND IN A CRISIS
Respond across a range of crisis situations where a young person may be at risk of harm.
REDUCE STIGMA
Reduce stigma and increase support for young people experiencing and living with mental health problems.
The Youth Mental Health First Aid course teaches participants how to provide initial support to a young person (aged 12–18) who may be experiencing a mental health problem or mental health crisis, until professional help is received, or the crisis resolves.
Course participants learn about the signs and symptoms of common mental health problems in adolescents, how to recognise and respond to an emerging or worsening mental health problem, and the treatments and supports available.
Using a practical, evidence-based action plan, course participants learn how to approach a young person they are concerned about and initiate a conversation about those concerns. Participants also learn how to offer initial support and information and how to help a young person to seek professional help or other supports.
Adults who complete the course become Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAiders), equipped with the knowledge, confidence, and skills to provide someone with mental health information and support when it matters most.
This course is recognised by Suicide Prevention Australia as a safe, high-quality, and effective suicide prevention program. Learn more.
Watch this short video to learn more about our course.
Course information
Delivery format
Face-to-Face
Blended Face-to-Face
Blended Online
Duration
14 hours
Take the next step
For individuals or small groups
For larger groups
Why MHFA?
Evidence-based: All Mental Health First Aid courses are based on guidelines that are informed by people with lived experience, their caregivers, and mental health professionals.
Rigorously evaluated: Evaluations consistently show that Mental Health First Aid training improves participants’ knowledge of mental illnesses and their treatments, and confidence in providing mental health first aid to individuals.
Skills-based: Teaches the practical skills, knowledge, and confidence to make a difference.
Internationally recognised: Over 6 million people trained in Mental Health First Aid across 25 countries.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course participants will be able to:
- Recognise the signs and symptoms of mental health problems in young people
- Use an evidence-based action plan to initiate a mental health first aid conversation
- Assess for a range of crisis situations and provide initial support
- Understand the prevalence and impact of mental illnesses, risk factors and treatments and supports available
- Distinguish between normal and expected changes during adolescence and development of mental health problems
- Understand the scope of the Mental Health First Aider role and the medical rights of minors
- Apply self-care practices as a Mental Health First Aider.
Suitability
Suitable for parents, carers and adults supporting adolescents across a wide range of settings including schools, community groups, organisations and sporting clubs.
Any adult (aged 18+) can attend.
Course Content
This course covers common and disabling mental health problems and crisis situations. Participants learn how to apply mental health first aid to young people across a range of situations, including:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Eating disorders
- Substance use problems
- Suicidal thoughts and behaviours
- Panic attacks
- Non suicidal self-injury
Duration & Format
The 14-hour course can be delivered in 1 of 3 ways:
Face-to-face: 2 x 7-hour sessions over 2 days
Blended Face-to-Face: self-paced eLearning (5-7 hours), followed by a one day (7 hours) OR 2 x half days (3.5 hours) face-to-face sessions
Blended Online: self-paced eLearning (5-7 hours), followed by 3 x 2.5-hour videoconferencing sessions
All sessions are led by an MHFA trained and Licensed Instructor.
Accreditation
You can complete the short assessment at the end of a course to become an Accredited Mental Health First Aider (MHFAider).
Accreditations are valid for 3 years.
Course Fees
Mental Health First Aid Australia does not employ the Instructors that it trains and licenses. Therefore, each Licensed MHFA Instructor has the autonomy and flexibility to set their own course fees. Course fees do vary for many reasons which can include course type, individual Instructor qualifications and credentials, course venue, course location (metropolitan vs regional locations), course catering and any course participant subsidies that may be available as a result of a community grant.
As a teacher, I appreciated the variety of teaching strategies and learning activities the facilitator and co-facilitator worked into the course content and the variety of movement when topics got heavy. I appreciated the effort and thought they put in.
Really enjoyable and interesting course. Our Instructor had really good knowledge and it was clear that she has a great passion in the area of mental health, which enhanced the course.
The Instructor made things really engaging and accessible. Hearing all the different experiences especially helped. Nice to hear about the impact you can make on someone’s life by doing such simple steps.
