Youth Mental Health First Aid is an 8-hour empirically-backed public education program for adults who work with or interact with youth. It introduces participants to the unique risk factors and warning signs of mental health challenges in adolescents, builds an understanding of the importance of early intervention, and teaches individuals how to help an adolescent in crisis. The evidence behind MHFA demonstrates that it is effective in helping people feel more comfortable in a crisis situation and initially helping someone experiencing a mental health challenge. The training builds mental health literacy and confidence in participants through helping them to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness. Mental Health First Aid is a prevention tool that introduces participants to signs of suicide and mental illnesses, including information about anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.

This training uses role-playing and simulations to demonstrate how to offer initial help in a mental health crisis and connect persons to the appropriate professional, peer, social, and self-help care.

Speaker:

• Maria Pos, Training Project Manager, AOCHMP