Mental Health First Aid

Mental Health First Aid is an international, evidence-based public education program, which introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health and substance use disorders. It builds understanding of the importance of early intervention, and reviews common resources. The Mental Health First Aid program addresses mental health awareness through adults helping adults, adults helping youth, and teens helping teens.

The Adult Mental Health First Aid course uses role-playing and simulations to demonstrate how to assess a mental health crisis, select interventions and provide initial help, and connect people to professional, peer and social supports as well as self-help resources.

The course focuses on recognizing the patterns of thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and appearance that show there might be a challenge rather than on a specific disorder. Participants learn an action plan to apply to non-crisis and crisis scenarios.