Want to offer Mental Health First Aid in your community? Start by defining your goals and strategy for dissemination. You’ll need to select staff to be trained as instructors and support your certified instructors to teach at least three courses a year. Before you get started, ask yourself the following questions.
Why Mental Health First Aid?
Is Mental Health First Aid right for you? First, it is important to know what the program is and what it is not.
Mental Health First Aid is…
A health literacy program
About people helping people, one-on-one
For individuals who do not have any background as a mental health professional
Mental Health First Aid is not…
A disaster response program
A peer support group
Counseling, therapy, or other professional help
Getting Started
Setting Goals
Studies on Mental Health First Aid show a variety of outcomes. You should define your own measurable objectives, which may include:
Training a certain number of people in your community/in specific audience groups
Making your organization more visible in the community
Strengthening relations with community partners
Planning
Putting on a course involves much more than just teaching it. Program planning involves:
Strategic planning (e.g., creating a sustainable business plan, forming community partnerships)
How much can you invest in Mental Health First Aid? Expenses vary depending on a number of factors, but you should build your budget to include the following pieces:
Instructor training ($2,000 per person tuition, travel and lodging during the training, cost of time out of the office)
Program administration and planning
Marketing and outreach (e.g., press outreach, web development, printing posters and flyers, social media activities)
In July 2015, I had the opportunity to take a Mental Health First Aid course at WestCare Nevada. Little did I know that just a few days later I would be using the information and techniques I had learned in the class in a real life situation.”–Rick Denton
Hilda Marie’s worst nightmare was unfolding right before her eyes. Teetering at the edge of the platform was a woman poised to jump in front of an oncoming train. What would you do? For Hilda, there was no question. She turned to the skills she learned in the eight-hour Mental Health First Aid class she completed. ”–Hilda Marie
I recently got dispatched on a psychiatric call...because I took the Mental Health First Aid class, I knew not to take the attitude that she's crazy and was able to keep her calm.”–Sarah L., EMT
