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WHY teen MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID?

teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) is a training program for teens

brought to the United States by the National Council for Mental

Wellbeing in partnership with Born This Way Foundation.

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It teaches teens in grades 10-12, or ages 15-18, how to identify,

understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use

challenges in their friends and peers.

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WHAT IT COVERS

  • Common signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges.

  • Common signs and symptoms of a mental health crisis, particularly suicide.

  • The impact of school violence and bullying on mental health.

  • How to open the conversation about mental illnesses and substance use with friends.

  • How to seek the help of a responsible and trusted adult.

WHO TAKES OR TEACHES tMHFA?

  • Teens in grades 10-12 or ages 15-18.

  • High schools, organizations partnering with a high school and youth-serving organizations are eligible to teach tMHFA.

THREE WAYS TO TEACH AND LEARN

  • In-person - Lessons are conducted in person in six 45-minute sessions or three 90-minute sessions.

  • Blended - Teens complete a self-paced online lesson, then participate in six live, Instructor-led sessions.  These Instructor-led sessions can be:

    • Video conferences

    • In-person classes

letsgetreal

 Sources: 

National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.) Statistics: mental illness. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness 

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Kessler, R., Berglund, P., Demler, O., Jin, R., Merikangas, K.R., Walters, E.E. (2005, June). Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry. 62(6); 593-602. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.62.6.593 

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National Center for Health Statistics. (n.d.) Adolescent health. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/adolescent-health.htm 

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