Youth Mental Health First Aid Course
The 14-hour Youth Mental Health First Aid course is for any interested adult.
With a focus on improved mental health literacy and early intervention, Youth MHFA is for adults who work, live or care for adolescents such as teachers, school support staff, parents, sports coaches, community group leaders and youth workers.
Adolescence is a time of important change and development. It is also the time when mental health problems can first emerge.
During high school years, mental health problems are among the leading causes of falling grades, problems with friends, and relationships, substance use or abuse and they can have lifelong impact.
With a focus on improved mental health literacy and early intervention, Youth MHFA is for adults who work, live or care for adolescents such as teachers, school support staff, parents, sports coaches, community group leaders and youth workers.
The Youth MHFA course is based on guidelines developed through the expert consensus of people with lived experience of mental health problems and professionals. The course equips adults with the skills to recognise and respond to an adolescent who may be experiencing a mental health problem or crisis situation. Using a practical, evidence-based action plan, Youth MHFA teaches participants how to support an adolescent until appropriate professional help is received or the crisis resolves.
Learning Objectives:
The 14-hour Youth Mental Health First Aid course teaches people (18 years and over) how to offer initial support to young people who are developing a mental health problem, experiencing a worsening of an existing mental health problem or in a mental health crisis, until appropriate professional help is received or the crisis resolves. The course curriculum is evidence-based, as informed by the MHFA Guidelines.
Course participants learn about the signs and symptoms of the common and disabling mental health problems, how to provide initial help, where and how to get professional help, what sort of help has been shown by research to be effective, and how to provide first aid in a crisis situation.
Developing mental health problems covered are:
Depression & Anxiety
Eating disorders
Psychosis
Substance use problems
Mental health crisis situations covered are:
Suicidal thoughts and behaviours
Non-suicidal self-injury (sometimes called deliberate self-harm)
Panic attacks
Traumatic events
Severe effects of drug or alcohol use
Severe psychotic states
Aggressive behaviours
Course Prerequisites:
Any interested adult can attend.
Please note this course is not a therapy or support group, rather it is an education course to learn how to give first aid to others.
Clothing: We suggest that you wear comfortable casual clothing. Pants and flat shoes are recommended.
Course Details Options:
Face-to-face: a 2-day course led by an accredited MHFA Instructor.
Blended face-to-face: a self-paced eLearning component (approximately 4 hours) followed by 1-day face-to-face session OR 2 half-day face-to-face sessions led by an accredited MHFA Instructor.
Online: a self-paced eLearning component (approximately 4 hours) followed 3 x 2.5-hour video-conferencing sessions led by an accredited MHFA Instructor.
Certificate Validity:
Mental Health First Aid certificate is valid for three (3) years from the completion date.
Mental Health First Aid Australia recommends that skills are refreshed triennually.
