Many teens with mental health challenges feel alone, dealing with depression, anxiety or substance use in silence. With suicide now the second leading cause of death for young people, it’s time to equip teens to support each other. Our evidence-based training helps you build a peer support network that gives students hope and a way forward.
Through our program, Instructors in schools and organizations across the country have trained thousands of teens. The first step is becoming a teen MHFA site. Approved teen MHFA sites can enroll their selected staff in teen MHFA Instructor training to become certified to teach teen MHFA. Watch these quick videos to make sure your school or organization meets the requirements.
Schools, youth-serving organizations or their partners can apply to be a teen MHFA site. Before applying, please review the requirements below.
If you are interested in bringing teen MHFA to teens in your community and meet the requirements, let’s talk. The National Council for Mental Wellbeing’s team will help you determine whether teen MHFA is a good fit for your organization.
In this multi-session training, teens learn how to help each other through hard times. Topics include anxiety, depression, eating disorders, bullying, social media, substance use and ADHD. They’ll be able to:
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. 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 (Youth MHFA) 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.
Parents, guardians and caregivers are encouraged to help bring teen MHFA to their community. Use these resources to advocate for teen MHFA at your teens’ school or youth-serving organization:
It was late one weekday. I had just gotten up from one of my long naps that characterized countless vain attempts to sleep away depressive thoughts. I got out of bed and took several steps to the door. Instantly, thoughts flooded my mind and the image of that kid at school who didn’t return my messages, who I truly believed hated my guts, flashed across […]...
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