June 24 & 25, 2025
9:30 am - 4:30 pm each day with 1 hour lunch break (on your own)

Paul Reynolds Community Centre (East End St. John's)
Parking on site.
Additional details will be provided to those who are registered. 
 
This is a certificate training program. 
 
What is Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)?
MHFA Standard is the foundational program designed for everyone. As a globally recognized training, it empowers everyday people to recognize when someone may be experiencing mental health challenges and equips them with practical skills to provide initial support. This course builds confidence to respond calmly and offer meaningful help during tough moments—all without needing to be a mental health expert.
 
As a Mental Health First Aider you will develop:
1. Peace of Mind - You’ll be better able to help if someone around you, like a friend or coworker, is having a hard time. You’ll feel prepared and confident to step in and offer initial support.
2. Practical Skills - You’ll be equipped with simple, actionable steps to provide support until the person can access professional help if needed.
3. Easier Dialogue - It helps you handle brave conversations without feeling awkward or worried you’ll say the wrong thing.
4. Stronger Connections - By recognizing when someone may need support, you’ll become a more compassionate co-worker, supervisor, friend, partner, or family member.
 
 
"Mental Health First Aid is a training course designed to give members of the public the skills to help someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. The evidence behind the program demonstrates that it builds mental health literacy, decreases stigmatizing attitudes, and helps individuals identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness.
Canadian statistics show that one in five Canadians will experience a mental health problem this year.  MHFA is an interactive workshop that teaches participants to recognize the signs that a person may be developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis and how to provide initial help and guide the person to appropriate professional resources"
 
"MHFA does not teach participants to become therapists or counsellors. Rather, it provides the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that allow someone to offer effective first aid intervention. The course addresses four of the most common and most stigmatized mental health disorders and includes signs/symptoms, risk factors, and crisis first aid for specific situations".
(Mental Health First Aid, www.mhfa.ca)