Mental Health First Aid

Learn the signs to watch for and how to support someone who may be experiencing a mental health or substance use concern.

Around one in five Americans experience a mental health or addiction disorder each year. Do you know what to do when someone near you has a panic attack or is in crisis?

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a skills-based, experiential, and evidence-based training program where you learn a five-step action plan that can be used to help those in need:

  1. Assess for risk of suicide or harm
  2. Listen non-judgmentally
  3. Give reassurance and information
  4. Encourage appropriate professional help
  5. Encourage self-help and other support strategies

Why Mental Health Matters in the Workplace

  • About 10.8 million full-time workers have a substance use disorder
  • As many as 35 million workdays are lost each year due to mental illness
  • Untreated mental illness in the workplace costs businesses $105 billion each year – mostly due to lost productivity

Benefits of MHFA in the Workplace

Training employees about how to support mental health can help:

  • Reduce stigma around mental health issues
  • Increase employees’ understanding around mental health and substance use
  • Increase likelihood that employees will reach out to someone who may be facing a mental health or substance use challenge
  • Teach employees how to connect a distressed person with the appropriate resources, in accordance with company policies

Flexible Training Formats

The eight-hour course can be scheduled in two-hour or greater blocks of time and held virtually or in-person to fit your needs.

Register Your Team for Mental Health First Aid Training

Give your team the tools they need to support an individual with mental health concerns in the moment and connect them to additional community resources.

To set up Mental Health First Aid training in your workplace, contact Julie Kiehne to learn more and discuss options.

Julie Kiehne
Julie Kiehne
Business Outreach Coordinator

jkiehne@winona.edu

Winona State University | Somsen 209D 507.457.5088

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507.535.2570