teen Mental Health First Aid
tMHFA teaches teens in grades 9-12, or ages 14-18, how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges in their friends and peers.
What is tMHFA?
This evidence-based program teaches teens to recognize the signs and symptoms of a developing mental health challenge or crisis and how to get help from a trusted and responsible adult.
Ways to Teach and Learn
In person learning: Lessons are conducted in person in six 45-minute sessions or three 90-minute sessions.
Blended Learning: Teens complete a self-paced online lesson, then participate in six live, Instructor-led sessions.
Why tMHFA?
Adolescence is a time of critical change and development, and the time when mental health challenges may first emerge. Those challenges may be the cause for falling grades, problems with close relationships and substance use. tMHFA prepares teens to provide support for their peers as well as better cope with mental health challenges themselves — and get assistance from a trusted adult.
Learn how to bring tMHFA to your community
Applications for the 2024-25 school year will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Ready to become a teen site?
Funding made available through Missouri’s Department of Mental Health.
Key Implementation Requirements
- The course must be taught to an entire grade level or group of teens.
- Sites must have approximately 10% of staff trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid, in order to increase the capacity of staff to respond to a student who reaches out.
- The site must have a safety protocol in place to ensure youth safety, including having a mental health professional on site.
- The course should be taught in classes of approximately five to 30 teens on non-consecutive days. The program cannot be taught in large, assembly-style sessions.
“I know we are saving lives because kids will come report that a friend is struggling and they’ll say things from the training like “I know I’m not supposed to handle this alone. I’m supposed to reach out to a trusted adult, so here I am.”
Ms. Chelsea Boyd
Assistant Principal at Seckman Senior High
“I appreciate that tMHFA not only teaches students how to respond to mental health challenges, it also gives them the opportunity to practice these skills so they are prepared to act in a crisis.”
Sydney Ludwig, MSW, LCSW
tMHFA instructor at North Callaway High School
“The trainers are excellent. They go out of their way to form relationships with the students and make them feel at ease while discussing hard topics.”
Liz Seely, LPC
School Counselor Académie Lafayette
How to reach us
For more information or to meet with a member of our team:
Our team is excited to help you navigate tMHFA.
tMHFA FAQs Answers to frequently asked questions about tMHFA.
tMHFA Pricing Guide tMHFA Pricing guide.
tMHFA Marketing Package Tips and resources to help you bring tMHFA to your school or youth-serving organization.
