We appreciate your interest in becoming a Mental Health First Aid Instructor! Below is more information about becoming a Mental Health First Aid instructor in Missouri.

What You Need to Know

There are a few pieces of information we would like to share with you to help you in the process of becoming a Mental Health First Aid instructor.

• Instructors are on the front lines of the program and train people in their communities in Mental Health First Aid. Certified instructors are required to teach the course at least three times per year. Instructors teach from a national curriculum, tailor discussions to their participants and compile a list of local resources for help.
• There are two types of Mental Health First Aid. We suggest you become trained in the MHFA course geared towards your experiences with each population.
  • Adult MHFA – The adult Mental Health First Aid course is appropriate for anyone age 18 and older who wants to learn how to help a person who may be experiencing a mental health related crisis or problem.
  • Youth MHFA – The Youth Mental Health First Aid course is primarily intended for adults to learn how to help young people experiencing mental health challenges or crises. It reviews the unique risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems in adolescents ages 12-18 and emphasizes the importance of early intervention.
• Instructor trainings are a week-long course to teach you the fundamentals of Mental Health First Aid and provide you all the training resources you need to become a successful instructor.

How to Become Certified as an Instructor

Instructor certification results from a week-long training that presents the Mental Health First Aid 8-hour course and provides in-depth instruction on facilitating the course. The training includes a written exam and evaluates each candidate’s ability to present the 8-hour Mental Health First Aid course to a variety of audiences. Become certified to teach the adult or youth curriculum, or both.

Instructor trainings are offered approximately six times a year both in Saint Louis and Kansas City. The Instructor Training Schedule is updated as trainings are finalized by the Missouri Institute of Mental Health and the Missouri Department of Mental Health.

To become a Missouri instructor you must complete and submit an application that can be on the Mental Health First Aid Instructor Application page.

MHFA Instructor Training Scholarships are offered to offset the cost of MHFA Instructor Training tuition.