*Waitlist* MHFA Instructor Training (No grant)

PLEASE READ ALL INTRODUCTORY MATERIALS BEFORE CONTINUING.

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.

Interested in bringing MHFA 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 MHFA classes. MHFA is specifically designed for adults assisting other adults and is a great supplemental training for public service personnel, human resources, behavioral health, coaches, other direct service related positions, and anyone interested in expanding mental health education to the greater Maryland community.

Tuition 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. Starting August 1st, 2023 it will be REQUIRED that a candidate attends a Mental Health First Aid class prior to enrolling in instructor training. This class can be the youth or adult curriculum and must have taken place in the past 3 years.
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 Marylanders at a subsidized cost of $1,500.

By becoming a Mental Health First Aid Instructor, you will be qualified to teach this curriculum anywhere in the country. The Mental Health Association of Maryland occasionally provides teaching opportunities to active instructors, but ultimately instructors are being trained to conduct classes independently throughout their communities.

If you have questions about the curriculum or training program, please email MHFAtraining@mhamd.org. Capacity for each training is limited.