Mental Health First Aid for Adults who Interact with Youth

Training offered in English only 

MHFA Adults who Interact with Youth is intended for an adult audience whose primary focus is youth (aged 14-25). In addition to the four most common disorders discussed in MHFA BASIC, this course includes instruction about eating disorders and deliberate self-injury. Participants who take this course are well prepared to interact confidently about mental health with the young people in their lives, including at schools, extra-curricular activities, social services, family, friends, and communities. This 2 day program is delivered over 12 hours. 9am - 4 pm (1 hour lunch). Lunch is the responsibility of the participant and is not included in the fee.

Course Objectives

Participants who take this course are well prepared to interact confidently about mental health with the young people in their lives, including at schools, extra-curricular activities, social services, family, friends, and communities.

In the MHFA course, you will gain a solid understanding of the 5 basic actions of ALGEE:

Assess the risk of suicide and/or harm

Listen non-judgmentally

Give reassurance

Encourage professional support

Encourage other supports

ALGEE is the framework for having a confident conversation about mental health with family, friends, colleagues, and strangers.

Key outcomes

International evaluations and feedback have found the following outcomes for participants undertaking an MHFA course:

• Increased awareness of signs and symptoms of the most common mental health problems
• Decreased stigma related to mental health
• Increased confidence interacting with individuals experiencing a mental health problem or crisis
• Increased help actually provided to individuals in crisis or experiencing a mental health problem