MHFA Supporting Youth (Virtual)
The course is designed for members of the public who have frequent contact with young people (ages 12 to 24), for example, parents and guardians, school staff, sports coaches, and youth workers.
On this page
Intended Audience
It is most relevant in situations when it is first becoming apparent to an adult that a young person in their family, classroom, or other network is developing a mental health problem. However, the course also provides some useful information on how to assist a young person who has a history of a mental illness or longer-term mental health and/or substance use problems, as well as how to support a young person in crisis.
Course Overview
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is the help provided to a person who is showing signs of declining mental well-being or crisis. “MHFA – Supporting Youth” is a course designed for members of the public who have frequent contact with young people (ages 12 to 24).
Participants will learn how to:
- recognize signs that a young person may be experiencing a decline in their mental well-being or a mental health or substance use crisis
- initiate conversations that encourage a young person to talk about a mental health or substance use problem
- discuss professional and other supports that could help with recovery to improved mental well-being
- assist in a mental health or substance use crisis situation
- check in with one’s own mental well-being and take action as needed
Method of Instruction
This 10-hour course opens with a self-directed module (Module 1) that focuses on the information and strategies that participants will discuss and practise throughout the virtual classroom modules (Modules 2 and 3). Module 1 takes up to 2 hours to complete while Modules 2 and 3 are 4 hours in length each, including breaks.
Upon registration, participants will receive the “MHFA – Supporting Youth Participant Reference Guide” that outlines MHFA actions for developing mental health and substance use problems, and mental health and substance use crises.
MHFA Resources
- Mar 02, 2023
Mental health is a vital aspect of your overall health. As you grow older, you can experience changes in your physical health, social connections, and daily routines that can significantly affect your quality of life, your mood and well-being.
- Feb 02, 2023
Stigma leads me to write this under a pseudonym. Why? Because my child is kind, caring, generous and resilient, among many other great qualities.
- Oct 27, 2022
Recent events have highlighted the need for change in how we do business, manage operations, and provide psychological safe space for the workforce. What we perceived as “working” before, it would seem, is no longer working.
MHFA Case Studies
- Dec 23, 2022
In Saskatchewan, Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12) education is a shared responsibility between the Ministry of Education, under the authority of the Minister of Education, and locally elected boards of education. There are 27 school divisions in Saskatchewan, including public school divisions, separate school divisions, and the francophone school division.
- May 13, 2022
Founded in 1983 in Canada, nabs is a unique charity specifically designed to support the health and well-being of all individuals in the media, marketing, and communications industry in Canada.
- Jun 22, 2021
In 2018, Loblaw started working on being more proactive by providing store managers with the tools they need to respond to mental health crises in the workplace.