HBCU Sponsored – Mental Health First Aid Instructor Training

PLEASE READ ALL INTRODUCTORY MATERIALS BEFORE CONTINUING.

*This training is only available to representatives located at one of Maryland’s HBCU campuses. You must use your school affiliated email address to register.*

 

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an international public awareness curriculum that works to destigmatize conversations around mental health while providing a tangible action plan for participants to address crisis and non-crisis mental health situations – much like CPR/first aid supports physical health situations. MHFA is proven to increase the likelihood of bystander helping behaviors, but also increases the learners own mental health literacy. Win-win!

Interested in bringing Mental Health First Aid to your organization or community by becoming a certified instructor? The virtual, multi-day instructor training uses the train-the-trainer model and prepares you to teach Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) classes. MHFA is specifically designed for adults assisting other adults and is great for staff, faculty, and students in higher education, those in direct service fields (healthcare, education, public safety, etc.), and anyone interested in expanding mental health education to the greater Maryland community.

Training Includes…

Physical materials and teaching kit

8-hours of self-paced prework

3-days of live, online instruction

Postwork with optional self-paced module for in-person instruction

Ongoing instructor support through the Mental Health Association of Maryland

Please note…

1. It is HIGHLY recommended that a candidate attends a Mental Health First Aid class prior to enrolling in instructor training.
2. That all instructors are required to conduct classes in alignment to the National Council for Mental Wellbeing standards of fidelity. Instructors are required to teach three times per year to maintain their certification.
3. Attendance in class does not guarantee successful completion of the training program. An unsatisfactory score during Day 3 Teachback Presentations may result in provisional or non-certified status.
4. If candidates miss more than 45-minutes of instruction, they cannot be certified.
5. A Mental Health First Aid class contains 5-6 hours of content, not including breaks. This will require instructor candidates to study and practice the materials beyond the 3-day instructor training. To become proficient in teaching, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing recommends an extra 40-hours of review prior to teaching. This time commitment may differ between instructors, but please keep this in mind as you move forward with this training.

MHFA Instructor Training is valued at $2,200 across the country and is available FOR FREE in a limited capacity to staff, faculty, and students on campus through 2025.

This fully grant funded opportunity is hosted in partnership with the Maryland Department of Health Behavioral Health Administration, the Mental Health Association of Maryland, and Maryland’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities. We ask that those who are interested in becoming trained to have both the capacity and passion to teach this curriculum throughout the initiative (2025) and beyond. The Mental Health Association of Maryland will provide ongoing support to instructors who are teaching for the HBCU MHFA Initiative with registration logistics, coaching, and co-instruction support.

By becoming a Mental Health First Aid Instructor, you will be qualified to teach this curriculum anywhere in the country.

If you have questions about the curriculum or training program, or would like to inquire about this upcoming training, please email Leah Bentfield at LBentfield@mhamd.org. Capacity for this training is limited.