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Project AWARE-SEA and MHAT Grantees

Welcome SAMHSA grantees and congratulations on your recent award of either the Project AWARE State Education Agency Grant (AWARE-SEA) or Mental Health Awareness Training (MHAT) grant! The National Council for Mental Wellbeing looks forward to working with you to expand the reach of Mental Health First Aid and Youth Mental Health First Aid across the country.

Upcoming Grantees Activities

Project AWARE-SEA, MHAT and Mental Health First Aid: What’s Next?

Join us for a webinar to learn the next steps for recently awarded grantees, including an overview of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Instructor training, host site trainings and additional resources.

MHAT Grantee Training Needs Survey

MHAT grantees, please complete this brief survey by October 18. This survey will gather important information about your organization, points of contact and your unique training needs for this fiscal year so that we can best support you.

Instructor Training Resources

To Attend or Schedule Instructor Certification Training

Residents in Maryland and Missouri: Visit our state partners for training information:

All Other Grantees:

If you plan to train fewer than 10 Instructors, find an available date and have your instructor candidates complete their applications on our website.

Currently, all MHFA Instructor trainings are conducted virtually. The virtual training includes:

  • Pre-work: 8-hour, online, self-paced work completed prior to the first day of training.
  • Live, online Instructor-led training: 3-day online Instructor-led training (six to eight hours of content per day). This is a live, interactive course taught by MHFA National Trainers.
  • Post-work: Instructor candidates complete about two hours of post-work after the live training.

Hosted Instructor Trainings

* Only the three-day remote training is available.

If you plan to train 10 or more Instructors, you may want to host an Instructor training. If you’re ready to host, start the process by selecting a date for training. If you need more info, visit MHFA.org to learn more about training costs, what they include and your responsibilities as host.

Webinar: How to Host Your Own Instructor Training

Is this your first time hosting an on-site Mental Health First Aid or Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor training? Join us for a webinar on what it takes to host your own Instructor training.

teen Mental Health First Aid

teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) is an evidence-based training that was brought to the United States in partnership with Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation. It teaches high school students in the 10th, 11th and 12th grades (ages 15-18) how to identify, understand and respond to friends who might be living with a mental health or substance use challenge or crisis. It emphasizes how to get the help of a trusted adult quickly.

Before teaching tMHFA to youth in grades 10-12, schools and youth-serving organizations must apply to the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and register as tMHFA Implementing Sites. Once accepted, tMHFA Implementing Sites may invite Instructor candidates to apply to attend a three-day tMHFA Instructor Training.

Learn more about the process on the teen Mental Health First Aid information and resources page at MHFA.org.

Reporting Resources

Instructors and Coordinators have access to multiple reports in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Connect that can help you track the progress of a specific learner or a class, and trends in exam answers and survey answers.

Contact Us

For implementation questions related to Mental Health First Aid, please email us at MHFA_SAMHSA@thenationalcouncil.org. We will respond to your inquiries in two to three business days.

If you are an MHFA Instructor with questions about courses funded by your grant that are already scheduled, contact our client success team using MHFA_SAMHSA@thenationalcouncil.org.

  • Mental Health First Aid training has taught the officer to ask his charges, “What happened?” instead of, “What’s wrong with you?”” –Officer Orlando Singleton
  • So many people are out there wishing for something better, hoping that help will show up. That’s what Mental Health First Aid is – it is help to get people connected to care and ultimately to get them to a better place.” –Tousha Paxton-Barnes, U.S. Army Veteran
  • I wish that every corrections officer could receive Mental Health First Aid training. I believe that our corrections system would be better because of it – the inmates would benefit, the officers would benefit and ultimately our communities would benefit.” –Lt. Virgil Meyer, Lieutenant, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections
  • As adults, we sometimes forget how hard it was being an adolescent. When we see a kid who is just miserable at school, we might think they choose to be that way – or that it’s just part of adolescence. But in fact, they might be in a mental health crisis, one they certainly did not choose and do not want. When a teacher says “how can I be helpful,” that is a powerful question. ” –Alyssa Fruchtenicht, School-Based Mental Health Counselor
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