Virtual Certification Courses: Mental Health First Aid Training ✚

MHFA is a skills-based training course that teaches participants about mental health and substance-use issues. Mental Health First Aid takes the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations about mental health and substance use problems by improving understanding and providing an action plan that teaches people to safely and responsibly identify and address a potential mental illness or substance use disorder. This is an excellent opportunity to become certified in this nationally recognized program at no cost.Given the mental health distress many of employees are facing, we would love as many Faculty/Staff of the UCI community to become certified as possible.

NOTE: This is a full certification course, where all participants will receive a certification valid for 3 years for attending. Participants will need to complete approximately 2 hours of pre-work (1 week before the training) and attend the 5.5-hour virtual training.

What is Mental Health First Aid? Mental Health First Aid is a course that teaches participants how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. The training gives participants the skills needed to reach out and provide initial help and support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. Mental Health First Aiders are individuals who want to make their community healthier, happier and safer for all.

The primary goals of Mental Health First Aid are to help the UCI community:

• Recognize signs, symptoms and risk factors of mental illnesses and addictions
• Decrease stigma of mental health within the UCI community
• Raise awareness of UCI mental health resources
• Lower stress, anxiety and depression rates amongst the UCI community
• And ultimately help individuals in distress