Mental Health First Aid Australia Courses

Standard Mental Health First Aid Course

The Standard Mental Health First Aid course teaches participants how to provide initial support to another adult who may be experiencing a mental health problem. (See the page for this course on the Mental Health First Aid Australia website).

Upon completion of this course participants will be able to:
- Recognise the signs and symptoms of mental health problems in adults
- Use an evidence-based action plan to initiate a mental health first aid conversation
- Know the barriers to help-seeking and how to overcome these
- Assess for a range of crisis situations and provide initial support
- Understand the prevalence and impact of mental illnesses, risk factors and treatments and supports available
- Apply self-care practices as a Mental Health First Aider
This course covers common and disabling mental health problems and crisis situations. Participants learn how to apply mental health first aid to adults across a range of situations, including:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Psychosis
- Substance use problems
- Suicidal thoughts and behaviours
- Panic attacks
- Non-suicidal self-injury
- Traumatic events
The 12-hour course can be delivered in 1 of 3 ways:
Face-to-face: 2 x 6-hour sessions over 2 days
Blended Face-to-Face: Self-paced eLearning (5-7 hours), followed by a 4-hour face-to-face session
Blended Online: Self-paced eLearning (5-7 hours), followed by 2 x 2.5-hour videoconferencing sessions

Youth Mental Health First Aid Course

The Youth Mental Health First Aid course teaches participants how to provide initial support to a young person (aged 12–18) who may be experiencing a mental health problem. (See the page for this course on the Mental Health First Aid Australia website).

Upon completion of this course participants will be able to:
- Recognise the signs and symptoms of mental health problems in young people
- Use an evidence-based action plan to initiate a mental health first aid conversation
- Assess for a range of crisis situations and provide initial support
- Understand the prevalence and impact of mental illnesses, risk factors and treatments and supports available
- Distinguish between normal and expected changes during adolescence and development of mental health problems
- Understand the scope of the Mental Health First Aider role and the medical rights of minors
- Apply self-care practices as a Mental Health First Aider.
This course covers common and disabling mental health problems and crisis situations. Participants learn how to apply mental health first aid to young people across a range of situations, including:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Eating disorders
- Substance use problems
- Suicidal thoughts and behaviours
- Panic attacks
- Non suicidal self-injury
The 14-hour course can be delivered in 1 of 3 ways:
Face-to-face: 2 x 7-hour sessions over 2 days
Blended Face-to-Face: self-paced eLearning (5-7 hours), followed by a one day (7 hours) OR 2 x half days (3.5 hours) face-to-face sessions
Blended Online: self-paced eLearning (5-7 hours), followed by 3 x 2.5-hour videoconferencing sessions

As qualified MHFA instructors, our goal is to increase mental health literacy, reduce stigma, and equip our students with the knowledge and skills to provide initial mental health first aid assistance to a person experiencing a mental health problem or mental health crisis. Please note, these courses do not qualify participants to practice as a therapist or counsellor, nor can they diagnose mental illness.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a global health promotion charity dedicated to the provision of evidence-based and informed programs, empowering communities with early intervention mental health training. Beginning in 2000, Mental Health First Aid has become one of the most trusted evidence-based mental health education programs in Australia and worldwide.