What is Youth Mental Health First Aid? or YMHFA?

YMHFA is the acronym for Youth Mental Health First Aid. YMHFA is a 14-hour course that teaches any adult (18 years and over) how to provide initial support to adolescents experiencing a mental health problem or crisis. Having mental health first aid skills means that you can assist someone developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis and make a real difference to your community.

Introduction to Mental Health First Aid Courses

Around 1 in 5 Australian adults, and 1 in 4 young people, experience a common mental illness each year. Understanding how to talk about mental health and help someone in need are important skills. Many people feel uncomfortable and unprepared when thinking about starting a conversation with someone they are concerned about.

At a Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) course, you will learn how to recognise the signs and symptoms of mental health problems and learn the skills to feel confident and able to help. The Youth course will also teach you about adolescent development and how to effectively communicate with young people.

About Mental Health First Aid Australia – The developers of the course.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Australia is a national not-for-profit organisation focused on mental health training and research. MHFA Australia’s core work is to develop MHFA courses, and train Instructors, such as Empowered Existence to deliver these courses to their communities. MHFA courses are delivered across Australia and internationally.

MHFA courses teach members of the public how to provide initial help to a person who is developing a mental health problem, experiencing a worsening of an existing mental health problem or in a mental health crisis. The first aid is given until appropriate professional help is received, or the crisis resolves.

World-wide Reach

Since its inception in 2000, MHFA has evolved into a global movement across Australia and in over 27 countries. To date, over 3 million people worldwide have been trained, including over 800,000 Australians.

International Recognition

The Mental Health First Aid Program has been recognised with a number of Australian and international awards, including the THeMHS Medal. It has been recognised in the UK as an example of radical efficiency and has been listed in the USA by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) on their National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP).

Evidence-based Courses

Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) courses are based on evidence of what is best practice mental health first aid to support someone who has a mental health problem or is experiencing a mental health crisis. This evidence has been developed in partnership with the University of Melbourne, through developing Delphi method guidelines that cover a number of mental health problems, crises and in different contexts. All MHFA courses are then evaluated, using rigorous scientific methods, to ensure they are having a positive impact.

These evaluations consistently show that YMHFA training is associated with improved knowledge of mental illnesses and their treatments, knowledge of appropriate first aid strategies, and confidence in providing first aid to individuals with mental illness, benefits which are maintained over time. Some studies have also shown improved mental health in those who attend the training, decreases in stigmatising attitudes and increases in the amount and type of support provided to others.

MHFA Training Outcomes

KNOWLEDGE
Increases mental health literacy

CONFIDENCE
Increases confidence in providing mental health first aid

DE-STIGMATISING
Decreases stigmatising attitudes

SUPPORT
Increases the support provided to others

MHFA Officers

People who attend Mental Health First Aid training can complete an online assessment to be accredited as a Mental Health First Aider. The accreditation is valid for three years.

Just like appointing physical first aid officers, many organisations choose to appoint accredited Mental Health First Aiders to the role of Mental Health First Aid officer within the workplace.

Mental Health First Aid Officers are appointed and supported to:

Provide mental health first aid within their worksite
Escalate any matters in a prompt and appropriate fashion according to relevant organisational policy and procedures.

Types of MHFA Courses

There are core Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) courses to learn how to assist specific Australian population groups, and specialised MHFA courses to learn how to help someone experiencing a specific crisis or situation.

Empowered Existence runs the following MHFA courses and more information can be found by clicking each relevant link:

Standard Mental Health First Aid
Youth Mental Health First Aid
Teen Mental Health First Aid

Lived Experience

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Australia is committed to telling the stories of people with lived experiences of mental health problems.

YMHFA courses are based on the expert consensus, of people with lived experience of mental health problems and mental health professionals.

What is covered in an YMHFA course?

Learn to recognise common mental health problems, how to provide initial help to someone experiencing a mental health problem using a practical, evidence-based Action Plan, and how to respond in a crisis situation. During the course, participants have the opportunity to practice new skills in a safe environment.

Note: This is an education course designed to teach people the skills to give first aid to others, it is not a therapy or support group.

How do I sign up?

For our community events calendar – please go here to see all upcoming trainings

Alternatively if you wish to book a private course for your organisation, school or workplace, please contact Empowered Existence now to book a Youth (YMHFA), Teen (tMHFA), or standard adult (SMHFA)

Dates, Times, Costs, Venue?

Dates, venue and times will be determined to best suit your organisation or group schedule. We work around your availability.

For course fees and structure please see the corresponding links.

Facilitator

Fran Power will facilitate all trainings. She has been delivering courses for 5 years and has been working with young people for 15 years. https://mhfa.com.au/instructor/9694