Youth MHFA.
The Youth Mental Health First Aid course has been updated for 2025 with the latest knowledge and research. It has been redeveloped through an inclusive lens with extensive input from young people with lived experience.
This course is ideal for anyone who lives with, works with, or supports young people aged 8 to 18 and wants to gain the knowledge, awareness, and skills to spot the signs of a young person experiencing poor mental health, the confidence to start a conversation, and the tools to safeguard and signpost to appropriate support.
Train as a Youth Mental Health First Aider and you will receive three years of certification, plus access to ongoing benefits by joining the Association of Mental Health First Aiders®.
Course Outcomes
Youth Mental Health First Aiders will be able to:
Explain what mental health is
Describe how to look after their own mental health and wellbeing
Describe the signs of poor mental health in young people
Explain some of the risk factors associated with poor mental health in young people
Demonstrate how to apply the Youth MHFA action plan (ALGEE®) in a Youth Mental Health First Aid conversation
Describe the role of a Youth MHFAider®
Know how to use the MHFAider Support App®
Note: Learners will be given temporary access to the app for the duration of their course. See below for more information on our MHFAider Support App.
Know how to access a dedicated text service provided by Shout and ongoing learning opportunities with MHFA England
Session 1.
What is mental health?
What is Youth Mental Health First Aid?
Your role as a Youth MHFAider
What influences mental health?
The Mental Health Continuum
The Frame of Reference
The Stress Container
Session 2
The adolescent brain
The Youth MHFA action plan
Youth MHFA conversation in action
Boundaries of your role
What is anxiety?
Crisis first aid for panic attacks
What is a traumatic event?
Applying Youth MHFA to case studies
Session 3.
Recap Youth MHFA action plan
Supporting young people from marginalised groups
What is depression?
What is self-harm?
Suicide thoughts and behaviours
What is self-care?
Takeaways
A copy of the workbook to support their learning throughout the course
A digital manual to refer to whenever they need it
A wallet-sized reference card with the Youth MHFA action plan (ALGEE)
A digital Youth MHFAider certificate valid for three yearsJoin the Association of Mental Health First Aiders
When completing your Youth MHFA course, you are invited to join England’s first and only membership body for Mental Health First Aiders, the largest community of its kind. Offering ongoing support to MHFAiders, the exclusive benefits empower our members to fulfil their roles with confidence, skill, and care.
Find out more about the Association.
Session 4.
Addictive behaviours and substance misuse
Applying the Youth MHFA action plan to scenariosWhat is psychosis? What is disordered eating?RecoveryReviewing the Youth MHFAider role and boundariesYouth MHFA conversation practise