teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) is an evidence-based training that was brought to the United States in partnership with Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation. It teaches high school students in the 10th, 11th and 12th grades how to identify, understand and help their friends with mental health and substance use challenges and how to get the help of an adult quickly. Learn more about the program and how it can benefit young people in your community.
Before teaching tMHFA to youth in grades 10-12, organizations must apply to the National Council for Behavioral Health and be registered as tMHFA Implementing Sites. Once accepted, tMHFA Implementing Sites may invite Instructor candidates to apply to attend a three-day tMHFA Instructor Training.
Prepare yourself for the application process and training with the information and resources below.
Schools and organizations partnering with schools and youth-serving organizations/community sites are eligible to register as tMHFA implementing sites. To register as an Implementing Site, organizations must meet certain requirements, found in section 11 of the tMHFA FAQs.
If you meet these requirements and are ready to apply to become a tMHFA Implementing Site, follow these steps:
If you are interested in applying for a tMHFA Instructor training, your organization must apply to become a teen Implementing Site. Individual Instructor candidates are not eligible to apply apart from an approved organization.
Once your organization has been accepted as a tMHFA Implementing Site, you can invite Instructor candidates to apply for an upcoming Instructor Training.
2021 tMHFA INSTRUCTOR TRAINING SCHEDULE PDF
We will conduct Instructor Trainings virtually for as long as necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will schedule additional Instructor Trainings for the fall and winter.
Additional information and resources about tMHFA are available and include:
If you have additional questions, email MHFAApplications@thenationalcouncil.org.