BECOME A MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID INSTRUCTOR

As the number of Americans facing mental health and substance use challenges grows, it is imperative that we equip communities with the skills to recognize and respond to the signs and symptoms that indicate someone may need help. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) does just that.

MHFA Instructors are the key to spreading this vital and practical training across the country. Our certified Instructors are on the frontlines of the MHFA program helping to make mental wellbeing, including recovery from substance use, a reality for everyone, everywhere.

Anyone with a passion for wellbeing can make a difference, and no specific academic or professional credentials are required to become a MHFA Instructor. Here are four reasons to get certified:

1. Strengthen Communities: According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), nearly one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness. This means essentially everyone knows someone affected by a mental health or substance use challenge. By becoming a MHFA Instructor, you can not only help create a safe space where open dialogue is encouraged and people can deepen their understanding of one another, but also equip individuals with the skills to go out into the world and strengthen their own communities.

2. Stamp Out Stigma: There is still a great deal of stigma attached to mental health challenges. We know from the MHFA curriculum that public misunderstanding, prejudice and discrimination can hold people back from taking important life opportunities and achieving meaningful supports. Studies have shown that MHFA training improves knowledge, reduces stigmatizing attitudes and increases first aid actions toward people with mental health challenges. As a MHFA Instructor, you can help shift the public narrative surrounding mental wellbeing and create a more equitable, understanding world.

3. Educate Through Action: Many barriers to treatment are directly related to poor mental health literacy, including limited understanding of therapy and the perception that treatment is too demanding or not relevant to the person’s challenges. It’s understandable, therefore, that there is a significant correlation between poor mental health literacy and elevated rates of depression, anxiety and stress, to name a few. By becoming a MHFA Instructor, you can help people become more traumainformed and educated about common mental health and substance use challenges affecting your community.

4. Invest in First Aiders: Since 2008, we have trained 3 million Mental Health First Aiders across the country. First Aiders serve as a vital link between a person experiencing a new or worsening mental health or substance use challenge and appropriate professional supports, self-help and other support strategies. By becoming a certified MHFA Instructor, you can help us reach our goal of training 1 in 15 people in America as First Aiders to ensure that everyone in America has a close friend they can turn to when experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge before it becomes a crisis.

Are you ready to #BeTheDifference for those around you? Learn more about the certification process and role of the Instructor, and then apply to become a MHFA Instructor!