About Mental Health First Aid

Mental Health First Aid^® Australia offers a range of early-intervention education courses that equip teaching, support staff, parents and students with the skills to recognise and respond if someone they know experiences a mental health problem or crisis situation. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA™) training also helps improve outcomes and help seeking behaviours for those affected by mental health problems.

Developed in Australia, MHFA training courses are delivered by independent Instructors, who complete intensive training to become Mental Health First Aid Licensed. Our unique model allows Instructors to draw upon their diverse backgrounds, unique personal and professional life experiences, local knowledge and more, to deliver impactful MHFA training in the school setting. With a network of more than 2,800 Instructors across the country, schools can choose an Instructor that best reflects their specific needs.

Providing Mental Health First Aid training in schools helps whole school communities to: 

Adolescence is a time of important change and development. It is also a time when mental health problems such as depression and anxiety can first emerge. During the high school years, mental health problems are among the leading causes of falling grades, problems with friends and relationships and substance use or abuse, and they can have a lifelong impact. That is why early intervention is so important. 

Schools are an amazing source of support for adolescents and their families, but they can also be a source of strain or stress, especially for young people who may be experiencing mental health problems.

This is where Youth and Teen Mental Health First Aid training courses can help. 

Mental Health First Aid Australia offers a range of courses for different audiences and settings. There are three MHFA training courses currently published by the Victorian Department of Education and Training on the Mental Health Menu, which schools can deliver using their allocated funding:

Course Overview

Using a practical, evidence-based action plan, Youth MHFA equips teachers, support staff and parents with the knowledge and skills to recognise the signs and symptoms of the common and disabling mental health problems in young people, where and how to get help when a young person is developing a mental illness, what sort of help has been shown by research to be effective, and how to provide mental health first aid in crisis situations.

A Youth MHFA Refresher course is available for individuals that have completed the Youth MHFA course within the last 3 years. The Refresher course enables accredited Mental Health First Aiders™ to revise their knowledge and skills, and to extend their accreditation for a further 3 years. 

Delivery Modes and Costs

There are three ways that Youth MHFA training can be delivered: face-to-face, blended or fully online. Duration and cost to engage an external MHFA Instructor to deliver Youth MHFA courses for your school are listed in the drop-down boxes below.

All costs are inclusive of GST where applicable.

Mental Health First Aid Australia are working with Victorian-based Youth MHFA Licensed Instructors to deliver training at the below fixed prices. To connect with an Instructor, contact [email protected]

Course Overview

Using a practical, evidence-based action plan, the Youth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health First Aid (Youth AMHFA) course equips teachers, support staff and parents with the knowledge and skills to assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people who may be experiencing a mental health problem or mental health crisis.  

This course grounds participants in social and emotional well-being from an Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander perspective and explores strengths-based communication tips to engage with and get support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people. 

Delivery Modes and Costs:

There are three ways that Youth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander MHFA training can be delivered: face-to-face, blended or fully online.

Duration and cost to engage an external MHFA Instructor to deliver Youth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander MHFA courses for your school are listed in the drop-down boxes below.

All costs are GST inclusive where applicable.

Mental Health First Aid Australia are working with Youth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander MHFA Licensed Instructors to deliver training at the below fixed prices. To connect with an Instructor, contact [email protected]

Course Overview

The Teen MHFA course teaches students in Years 7-9 and 10-12 how to offer support to their peers and seek appropriate help from a trained adult where required. The course focuses on improving the mental health literacy of a whole student cohort, to reduce the stigmatising behaviours and attitudes that often prevent teens from getting the help and support they need.

The course educates teenagers on how to recognise changes in a friends’ or classmates thinking, feelings or behaviour that may indicate the presence of a mental health problem, how to offer initial mental first aid support and how to connect them with a trusted adult.

Please note that is it is a requirement that 10 percent of school staff are trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid, prior to implementing Teen Mental Health First Aid for students. 

Delivery Modes and Costs

Teen MHFA training is delivered to an entire cohort of students (for example every Year 8 in the school) via 3 x face-to-face classroom sessions led by a Teen MHFA Licensed Instructor.

Costs to engage an external MHFA Instructor to deliver Teen MHFA courses for your school are listed below. All costs are GST inclusive where applicable.

Mental Health First Aid Australia are working with Victorian based Teen MHFA Licensed Instructors to deliver training at the below fixed prices. To connect with an Instructor, contact [email protected]

Mental Health First Aid Australia has created a database of current and active Licensed MHFA Instructors who will deliver MHFA training at a fixed price. To connect with an Instructor and book in an MHFA course, follow the link to the form below.

Mental Health First Aid Australia trains and licenses eligible individuals as MHFA Instructors, who then deliver Mental Health First Aid training courses in their school communities. Schools can use their allocated Mental Health Menu funding to train eligible staff as Youth and/or Teen MHFA Licensed Instructors.

Our unique Instructor training model can be a cost-effective and sustainable way to embed MHFA training within school communities. By funding staff members to become Licensed MHFA Instructors, MHFA training courses can then be delivered to staff, parents and students on an ongoing basis.

Apply for an Instructor Training Course

To apply for an Instructor Training Course, please submit an enquiry by following the link below.