The Mental Health First Aid website describes the trainings as taking “the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations about mental health and substance use problems by improving understanding and providing an action plan that teaches people to safely and responsibly identify and address a potential mental illness or substance use disorder.”
The Mental Health First Aid Program in the US is managed by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing which describes itself as “a membership organization that drives policy and social change on behalf of more than 3,400 mental health and substance use treatment organizations and the more than 10 million children, adults and families they serve.”
What are the differences between the types of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Trainings offered?
- Adult MHFA: Mental Health First Aid in the context of Adults supporting other adults.
- Youth MHFA: Mental Health First Aid in the context of adults supporting youth.
- Teen MHFA: Mental Health First Aid in the context of teens supporting other teens.
About UNC Chapel Hill’s Adult MHFA Program
Although this website and program pertains to Youth and Teen MHFA implementation in North Carolina, we also want to highlight the Adult Mental Health First Aid Program that operates out of UNC School of Social Work’s Behavioral Health Springboard. This program offers in-person and virtual training opportunities for Adult Mental Health First Aid. The training is free of charge for UNC faculty, staff, and students. Click here to learn more about the Adult MHFA program or to sign up for trainings.