MHFA | pecanvalleycenters

What is Mental Health First Aid?

Most of us would know how to help if we saw someone having a heart attack—we’d start CPR, or at the very least, call 9-1-1. But too few of us would know how to respond if we saw someone having a panic attack or if we were concerned that a friend or co-worker might be showing signs of alcoholism.

Mental Health First Aid takes the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations about mental health and substance use problems by improving understanding and providing an action plan that teaches people to safely and responsibly identify and address a potential mental illness or substance use disorder.

Mental Health First Aid is a groundbreaking public education program that was developed in 2000 in Australia. It seeks to help participants recognize risk factors and warning signs of mental health challenges, build understanding of their impact, and briefly overviews common treatments. It uses interactive activities to demonstrate how to assess a mental health crisis; provide initial help; and connect persons to professional, peer and social supports as well as self-help resources.

MHFA seeks to demystify mental illness and help spread the message that there is hope. Recovery is possible, and help is out there. It can also be an important tool in early intervention. As First Aiders, we can #BeTheDifference in our communities.

MHFA Coordinator

Meet our MHFA Coordinator, Casey Coy! She can answer all of your questions related to our Mental Health First Aid courses.

Phone: 817-243-7826

Email: ccoy@pecanvalley.org

Course Offerings:

Adult Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a skills-based training that teaches people how to identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of a mental health or substance use challenge in adults ages 18 and over. Adult Mental Health First Aid is available in English and Spanish.

Adult MHFA also offers specialties to cater to the unique experiences and needs of each of these groups:

Mental Health First Aid for Public Safety – For law enforcement officers and criminal justice staff.
Mental Health First Aid for Fire and EMS - For firefighters and EMS personnel.
Mental Health First Aid for Higher Education – For students, staff, and faculty with specific focus on college students
Mental Health First Aid for Military Members, Veterans and Their Families - Teaches participants how to identify, understand, and respond to a veteran or service member.
Mental Health First Aid for Older Adults - Teaches participants how to identify, understand, and respond to people age 50 and older.
Mental Health First Aid for Rural Communities - Teaches participants how to identify, understand, and respond to people living in rural areas.

Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) is a skills-based training that teaches parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors and health and human services workers and any other adult how to identify, understand and respond to an adolescent (ages 12-18) who may be experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge. Youth Mental Health First Aid is available in English and Spanish.

Teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) is a skills-based training that teaches teens in grades 10-12, or ages 15-18, how to identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of a mental health or substance use challenge among their friends and peers. The program equips young people with the knowledge and skills they need to take care of their own mental health and to support each other, including how to get the help of a trusted adult.

Delivery Options:

In-person: Participants attend the course live and in-person.

Blended: Participants complete a two-hour self-paced course online, then attend the second portion of the course in-person.

Virtual: Participants complete a two-hour self-paced course online, then attend the second portion of the course via video conferencing software.

Enroll Now