Adolescence is a time of important change and development. It is also a time when mental health problems such as depression and anxiety first emerge. During the high school years, mental health problems are among the leading causes of falling grades, problems with friends and relationships and substance use or abuse, and they can have a lifelong impact. That is why early intervention is so important.
Schools are an amazing source of support for adolescents and their families but they can also be a source of strain or stress, especially for young people struggling with their mental health.
Youth and Teen Mental Health First Aid® (MHFA™) courses can help.
It is also important to recognise that it is not just students that need support. For many teachers the day-to-day effects of coping with student relationships, managing classroom dynamics, co-worker and parent relationships together with workload and time pressures can lead to physical and mental ill-health.
Standard Mental Health First Aid courses can help adults in the school community better support each other.
Creating a mentally healthy workplace, where teachers and staff feel supported, is crucial to their professional and personal success and the integral role they play in the social-emotional well-being of students.
During the high school years, mental health problems can negatively affect students’ grades, attendance, relationships, physical and psychological development, all of which can have a lifelong impact. Schools are an amazing source of support for teens and their families but they can also be a source of strain or stress, and it is often in schools where symptoms of mental health problems are first identified. It is also important to remember that it’s not only students that suffer from strain or stress in the school environment. For many teachers the day-to-day effects of managing student, co-worker and parent relationships, together with work and time pressures, can lead to both physical and mental problems.
This is where Mental Health First Aid® can help Mental Health First Aid offers a suite of early-intervention education courses for young people and adults that increase mental health literacy and teach the practical skills needed to support someone experiencing a mental health problem.
Increasing mental health literacy within whole school communities through targeted training, helps increase teacher, staff and student resilience. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA™) training equips people with the knowledge and confidence to approach or respond to staff members, students or peers who may need information or support. The impact of that first supportive conversation for any individual, and in particular a young person, in a time of need can be profound.
What is Mental Health First Aid? Mental health first aid is the initial help offered to someone who is experiencing a mental health problem or a mental health crisis until appropriate professional help is received or the crisis resolves.
MHFA Training in Schools
There are 3 courses recommended for the secondary school setting: Standard MHFA Teaches adults to support staff members and other adults. Youth MHFA Teaches school staff, teachers, support workers, parents and other adults to support young people. *MHFA courses are also available, to teach adults the skills to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults and young people.
Teen MHFA Teaches students in Years 7–9 and 10–12 how to offer support to their peers and seek appropriate help from a trained adult where required. It is important to note that Teen MHFA training can only be delivered once 10% of all staff have completed Youth MHFA training. The Teen MHFA course must also be delivered to a whole student cohort e.g. all Year 9 students. “In my nine years of teaching this is probably the best and most useful Professional Development I have done.” St Augustine’s College Staff Member
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