Support Student Mental Health
Teach teens and adults the skills to help youth with their mental health — starting with your school or youth program. When you start early, you’ll give young people the tools they need to face life’s challenges.
Why Youth Mental Health Matters
Mental health challenges affect 1 in 5 youth each year, and most youth never get the support they need. Schools and youth programs are well placed to provide our life-changing, evidence-based training that lowers stigma and builds an organizational culture of care.
Support Early Intervention
Our training helps teens and adults spot early warning signs of youth and student mental health challenges and step in before a crisis.
Create Safer Environments
Teaching parents, students and staff about mental health creates safe, open spaces where all youth feel seen and supported.
Reduce Mental Health Stigma
MHFA training takes the fear out of mental health conversations, showing students that it’s OK to talk about their struggles and ask for help.
Empower Your Community Today
Want to offer MHFA in your school or youth-serving organization? Complete the form to get started with program info, training options and next steps from our team.
Looking to train 5 or fewer Instructors? Support youth with Instructor Training for Small Organizations.
Trusted by Over 750 Leading Programs
School districts, nonprofits and youth programs across the U.S. trust our training to strengthen mental health support for youth.
Our Courses
All our MHFA trainings build safety, support and early intervention skills. Youth and teen MHFA are backed by evidence and tested in real classrooms. They include fun activities, group discussions and real-life examples for each audience. Both programs meet learners where they are.
teen MHFA
Empower high school students ages 14-18 to support their peers, spot warning signs and seek help from a parent, guardian or trusted adult. teen MHFA builds a stronger, safer community for teen mental health and establishes mental health support in schools.
Youth MHFA
Train a team of Instructors to teach your staff how to support young people ages 12-18 who may be experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge.
→ Learn more about Youth MHFA
→ For Tribal and Indigenous Communities
→ Para hispanohablantes
Restaurants
Do you work in an office, retail, manufacturing, a restaurant or another field? No matter what the setting, MHFA meets your team’s needs.
More InformationHow MHFA Works with Schools and Youth Programs
Bringing MHFA to your community is the first step toward better youth mental wellbeing. Here’s how you can increase your impact with MHFA Instructor training. For teen MHFA, learn more about becoming a host site.
Teach the MHFA curriculum with fidelity
Teach the 5-step MHFA Action Plan (ALGEE)
Show the impact of mental health and substance use challenges
Explain that recovery is possible
Share self-help strategies
Use MHFA technology
1
Train a group of Instructors in your school or organization. The training is available in person or online, and Instructors are ready to teach in as little as 3 days.
→ How Certification Works
2
Hold info sessions and share resources with parents and guardians.
→ How MHFA Supports Parents
3
Set up your Instructors to host MHFA trainings. With flexible training formats, MHFA fits right into your school or youth program’s schedule. Your Instructors can teach in person or online, or they can choose to teach in a blended environment, which pairs pre-work with live instruction. MHFA certification typically takes around 8 hours to complete and can be taught in one day or over time.
4
Watch your Instructors’ impact grow with each training, helping to build lasting support networks and creating positive change.
→ Learn More About Group MHFA
How MHFA Works with Schools and Youth Programs
Bringing MHFA to your community is the first step toward better youth mental wellbeing. Here’s how you can increase your impact with MHFA Instructor training. For teen MHFA, learn more about becoming a host site.
Step One
Train a group of Instructors in your school or organization. The training is available in person or online, and Instructors are ready to teach in as little as 3 days.
How Certification WorksStep Two
Hold info sessions and share resources with parents and guardians.
How MHFA Supports ParentsStep Three
Set up your Instructors to host MHFA trainings. With flexible training formats, MHFA fits right into your school or youth program’s schedule. Your Instructors can teach in person or online, or they can choose to teach in a blended environment, which pairs pre-work with live instruction.
MHFA certification typically takes around 8 hours to complete and can be taught in one day or over time.
Step Four
Watch your Instructors’ impact grow with each training, helping to build lasting support networks and creating positive change.
Learn More About Group MHFAHow MHFA Works With Schools
We know parents and guardians want to understand the ways schools and organizations care for their child’s mental wellbeing. If you plan to teach teen MHFA, keep parents and guardians informed before the course starts.
As part of implementing teen MHFA, schools and organizations host info sessions and provide resources for parents and guardians. They’ll have a chance to hear about the curriculum, to ask questions and raise concerns, and to learn new ways to support their child’s mental health.
All parents and guardians can opt their child out of teen MHFA.
Critically, teen MHFA teaches teens to reach out to a parent, guardian or trusted adult. For this reason, schools and organizations provide Youth Mental Health First Aid training — our course for adults who work or live with youth — for at least 5% of their teen MHFA Instructors. We encourage parents and guardians to attend a Youth MHFA course as well, to create opportunities for increased trust and shared understanding with their teens.
Are you a parent, guardian or teen looking to bring MHFA to your community? Make the case for teen MHFA to your school with our resources:
- teen MHFA One-page Overview: Facts, figures and details about teen MHFA.
- teen MHFA Brochure: Tips and resources to help you bring teen MHFA to your school or youth-serving organization.
- teen MHFA FAQs: Answers to frequently asked questions about teen MHFA.
Youth Need Mental Health Support
1 in 5
teens in the United States will experience a mental health challenge by age 18.
64 %
of teens in the United States who experience mental health challenges don’t seek help.
17.1
million youth under the age of 18 have or have had a psychiatric disorder — more than the number of children with cancer, diabetes and AIDS combined.
Our Impact
By preparing teens to look out for one another, you’ll spark a ripple effect of resilience and hope that strengthens your whole community.
Our Impact
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Real-life Success Stories
Our mental health trainings help people across the country in their relationships, workplaces, schools and communities one conversation at a time. See how they use MHFA to make a difference.
Success Stories
Learn More
Ava Sapolski
Student, Amherst Steele High School
“I was surprised by how much I learned about taking care of my own mental health, being kind to those around me, supporting my friends through rough patches and how to potentially save a life.”
Alyssa Fruchtebicht
Mental Health Coordinator, UnityPoint Health – Black Hawk Grundy Mental Health Center
“As adults, we sometimes forget how hard it was being an adolescent. When we see a kid who is just miserable at school, we might think they choose to be that way – or that it’s just part of adolescence. But in fact, they might be in a mental health crisis, one they certainly did not choose and do not want. When a teacher says “how can I be helpful,” that is a powerful question.”
Have Questions?
We’re here to help you bring the right mental health training to your school or youth program. Let’s talk about your goals and how we can support your community.
