EIU Mental Health Early Action

Mental Health First Aid

Mental Health First Aid is a skills-based training course that teaches participants how to identify, understand, and respond to mental health and substance-use issues. Just as CPR helps you assist an individual having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid helps you assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis. In the Mental Health First Aid course, you learn risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns, strategies for how to help someone in both crisis and non-crisis situations, and where to turn for help. Topics covered include depression, anxiety, trauma, and substance use.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an evidence-based training created by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing designed to provide participants with the skills to identify, destigmatize, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorder, enabling those trained to offer immediate, concrete support.

MHFA has shown to be effective internationally. Peer-reviewed studies show that individuals trained in the program: 

• Grow their knowledge of signs, symptoms, and risk factors of mental illnesses and addictions. 
• Can identify multiple types of professional and self-help resources for individuals with a mental illness or addiction. 
• Increase their confidence in and likelihood to help an individual in distress. 
• Show increased mental wellness themselves.

MHFA is not designed to replace the work of mental health professionals. Those who successfully complete the MHFA training will become a certified Mental Health First Aider. Mental Health First Aiders’ professional roles and responsibilities will not change as a result of this training. They are also under no obligation to publicly disclose that they have been trained in MHFA. 

 Fall 2024 Training Dates

We are currently taking sign-ups for fall 2024 MHFA trainings! Trainings are currently scheduled for the following dates:

• Friday, November 22, in-person, 8:30-4:30
• Monday, November 25, in-person, 8:30 - 4:30
• Monday, December 9, 9-1 & Thursday, December 12, 10-2, in-person
• Monday, December 16, in-person, 8:30 - 4:30

To see dates, methods of delivery, and submit interest in scheduled dates, please visit the link below!

https://www.eiu.edu/herc/machform/view.php?id=95841

Spring 2025 Training Dates

We are currently taking sign-ups for Spring 2025 MHFA trainings! Trainings are currently scheduled for the following dates:

• Monday, January 6, in-person, 8:30 - 4:30

To see dates, methods of delivery, and submit interest in scheduled dates, please visit the link below!

https://www.eiu.edu/herc/machform/view.php?id=95841

Questions?

Contact herc-mphr_marketing@eiu.edu with any questions!