Why Youth Mental Health Matters
Local teens share why youth mental health matters.
Youth Mental Health First Aid
Our kids need mental health support. Depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide are on the rise among youth. Integral Care and Travis County are addressing this urgent need by offering free Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) trainings.
Since 2010, over 16,800 community members have been trained by Integral Care as Mental Health First Aiders, with more than 3,600 trained in Youth MHFA. Our goal is to train an additional 2,000 community members in Youth Mental Health First Aid!
MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health challenges, mental health crisis, or substance use challenges among adults. MHFA can save a life, just like CPR or physical first aid. We offer trainings customized for specific areas of interest. Click here to see the variety of trainings offered.
To date, over 2.6 million people across the country have been trained in MHFA. Integral Care began offering MHFA to the community in 2006. We have trained over 14,000 people in Central Texas, including Capitol staffers, representatives from the City of Austin, Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services, University of Texas, Austin Community College, Huston-Tillotson University, Front Steps, Goodwill Industries of Texas, AIDS Service of Austin, Mobile Loaves and Fishes and many more.
Why become a Mental Health First Aider?
- Mental illness is common – approximately 1 in 5 adults will experience a mental illness
- 50% of mental health issues can be identified by age 14
Who should take MHFA?
Anyone! MHFA gives people the tools they need to help friends, family, colleagues and community members. It answers key questions like “What do I do? and “Where can someone find help?”
What will I learn in MHFA?
- Warning signs, symptoms and risk factors of mental illness
- Information on depression, anxiety, trauma, psychosis, suicide and substance use disorder
- A 5-step action plan to help someone showing signs of mental illness or someone potentially in crisis
- Professional and self-help resources
What trainings are available?
There are multiple types of MHFA trainings.
- Adult MHFA, offered in English and Spanish, is for anyone who wants to learn how to help someone showing signs of mental illness and/or substance use disorder or experiencing a mental health crisis.
- Youth MHFA is for anyone who works with youth and young adults ages 12-18 who may be in the early stages of a mental health problem, substance use disorder or crisis. Instructors review the risk factors and warning signs for this age group. The training emphasizes the importance of early intervention.
- Veterans, Military Members and Their Families MHFA is customized for family members and anyone who works with veterans, service members and their families. This training focuses on the unique experiences and needs of this population.
- Public Safety MHFA is customized for police, first responders, corrections officers, and other public safety audiences. The training provides officers with more response options to help them deescalate incidents and better understand mental health related calls.
- Higher Education MHFA is customized for anyone in a college or university setting. Instructors train students, faculty and others to recognize the signs of emerging mental illnesses and/or substance use disorder or to assist young adults in a mental health crisis. The training emphasizes the importance of early intervention.
How can MHFA support my business and employees?
MHFA is a great addition to a wellness program. It can provide managers and employees the tools they need to support each other and identify the signs of a mental health crisis and substance use challenges. Just like you support your employees with physical wellness programs, mental health programs are just as important.
- 10.8 million full-time workers have a substance use disorder. (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
- As many as 200 million workdays are lost each year due to mental health challenges. (Harvard Business Review)
- Less than 10% of employees feel their workplace is free of stigmas about mental health. (McKinsey Center for Societal Benefit)
What it covers
- Noticing signs and symptoms of substance use and mental health challenges
- Navigating conversations about mental health or substance use concerns
- Knowing that recovery is possible – and how to support it
- Tackling mental health stigma in the workplace
- Principles of safety and privacy
- Building resilience and strategies to alleviate burnout
- Reinforcing relevant Employee Resource Groups, employee benefits and HR initiatives
Who should take it?
- Human resources and benefits partners
- Senior leaders and front-line managers
- Clinical and wellness staff
- All employees dedicated to employee engagement, team building and resilience
To bring MHFA training to your organization, please contact mhfa@integralcare.org or (737) 263-3352.
Who Qualifies for Free MHFA Training?
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Veterans, Military Members & their families
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School district employees
- University staff
- Lawyers and Judges
- First Responders
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Child-care facilities
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Youth Serving Organizations, including afterschool programs, school-based programs, and volunteers who work with youth
- Participants between the ages of 18-21 taking adult or youth training
The State of Texas HHSC MHFA grant allows us to offer free MHFA trainings to educators, faculty and staff (K – 12th grades and institutes of higher education).