Mental Health First Aid

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a free, evidence-based training available to all educators. MHFA is an 8-hour instructor-led course, which teaches the general public about the signs and symptoms of mental illness and substance use disorders. It employs a variety of teaching techniques including hands-on exercises and real-world scenarios to equip participants with the skills they will need to intervene in a crisis situation. Participants receive invaluable information that they can then use in the classroom to potentially help prevent traumatic events with our Texas youth. The goal is to maximize the number of Texas school children who have direct contact with an individual who has successfully completed an MHFA training course. MHFA is free to teachers and any school district employee. Education Service Centers, Independent School Districts and charter schools can contact the local mental health authority or local behavioral health authority in their areas and begin the process of scheduling training during June, July, and August. Additional MHFA information (including accessing contact information for your area) is available on our school safety resources website page athttps://tea.texas.gov/About_TEA/School_Safety_Resource/