Training with Certification

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What is Mental Health First Aid and what does it teach?

  • MHFA is skills-based training that teaches people how to identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of a mental health or substance use challenge.
  • Similar to physical First Aid and CPR, MHFA helps you assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis until professional assistance is obtained or the crisis is resolved.
  • Mental Health First Aiders learn a 5-step Action Plan to recognize warning signs of a mental health or substance use challenge, provide help in crisis and non-crisis situations and understand where to turn for additional assistance.

What is a Mental Health First Aider?

  • A Mental Health First Aider, also called a First Aider, is a person who has successfully completed a Mental Health First Aid training.
  • First Aiders have empathy for people living with mental illness and substance use problems.
  • Their increased mental health literacy enables them to identify risk factors and warning signs for mental health and substance use challenges, confidence to provide strategies to help someone in crisis and non-crisis situations, and knowledge of where to turn for help.

Ways to Learn

In-person: learners receive their training as an 8-hour, Instructor-led, in-person course.

Virtual: learners complete a 2-hour, self-paced online course, and participate in a 4.5-5.5 hour, Instructor-led training online.

The following modules are available. 


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