History and Background

Mental Health First Aid was created by Professor Tony Jorm, a respected mental health literacy professor, and Betty Kitchener, a nurse specializing in health education. The program is auspiced at the ORYGEN Research Center at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

The National Council chose to help bring Mental Health First Aid to the U.S. due to the strong evidence supporting the program. Four detailed studies have been completed in Australia and nearly a dozen journal articles published on Mental Health First Aid’s impact on mental health literacy.  One trial of 301 randomized participants found that those who trained in Mental Health First Aid have greater confidence in providing help to others, greater likelihood of advising people to seek professional help, improved concordance with health professionals about treatments, and decreased stigmatizing attitudes. Unexpectedly, the study also found that Mental Health First Aid improved the mental health of the participants themselves.   Findings from the other studies have echoed these outcomes. 

To date, Mental Health First Aid has been replicated in England, Scotland, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, and Singapore. At the National Council, we truly value the supporting evidence and strive to achieve fidelity to the original Mental Health First Aid program developed in Australia. In the next ten years, we hope that Mental Health First Aid will become as common as CPR and First Aid training. It has the potential to reduce stigma, improve mental health literacy, and empower individuals — the benefits are limitless!

About the Program

The goal of Mental Health First Aid is to increase mental health literacy. Mental Health First Aiders learn a 5-step process to assess a situation, select and implement appropriate interventions, and help the individual in crisis connect with appropriate care. Participants learn the risk factors and warning signs of specific illnesses such as anxiety, depression, psychosis and addiction; engage in experiential activities that build understanding of the impact of illness; and learn information about evidence-supported treatment programs.

Like CPR training helps a non-medical professional assist an individual following a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid training helps an individual who doesn’t have clinical training assist someone experiencing a mental health crisis.  In both situations, the goal is to help support an individual until appropriate professional help arrives.  Mental Health First Aiders learn a single strategy that includes assessing risk, respectfully listening to and supporting the individual in crisis, and identifying and contacting appropriate professional help.  Trainees learn to apply this strategy in a variety of situations, such as helping someone through a panic attack, engaging with someone who may be suicidal, supporting a person experiencing psychosis and helping an individual who has overdosed.  An important component of the Mental Health First Aid training is that trainees practice the intervention strategy rather than just learn about it.  This simple experience can make it easier to actually apply the knowledge in a real-life situation.

Bringing Mental Health First Aid to Your Community

If your organization would like to bring Mental Health First Aid to your community, consider participating in an Instructor Certification Program. This weeklong program will enable the attendees to facilitate the 12-hour training in your community. The National Council could also send trainers to your community to conduct the 12-hour training. If interested, please contact Mohini Venkatesh by email or by phone: 301-984-6200 ext. 230.

For sites that participate in the Instructor Certification Program, the National Council will provide ongoing technical assistance in program planning and implementation, marketing, funding and other core components critical to the sustainability of Mental Health First Aid in communities. In addition, we will provide trained sites with new research and updated materials, module supplements targeted to a variety of audiences, and best practices from other Mental Health First Aid sites across the country and around the world.  Perhaps most importantly, we are also developing evaluation processes to allow sites to benchmark and track program outcomes.

For more information, please contact Lea Ann Browning-McNee or Susan Partain.