About us

What is Mental Health First Aid?

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) courses are a suite of internationally acclaimed and evidence-based training programs that empower and equip individuals with the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to support a friend, family member or co-worker experiencing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis such as being suicidal or having a panic attack.

Our Mental Health First Aid Ireland course teaches people how to provide MHFA. Participants will learn the signs and symptoms of mental health problems and what sort of help has been shown by research to be effective. They will learn a framework for communication, how to offer and provide initial help, and how to guide a person towards appropriate treatments and other supportive help.

Global Impact

Mental Health First Aid Ireland is the only licenced provider of Mental Health First Aid in Ireland and is part of the Global MHFA community, in 24 countries, with over 4 million people having received the training and over 13,000 in Ireland alone.

Evidence Based

MHFA International have, since they began in 2000, been committed to evaluating the MHFA training using rigorous, scientific studies. Courses have been independently and internationally reviewed in academically peer-reviewed studies.

Mental Health First Aid training has been shown to improve attitudes towards people with mental health difficulties, reduce stigma, improve knowledge, and improve people’s confidence in providing help and likelihood to advise people to seek professional help.

Lived Experience

Mental Health First Aid course curriculum is informed by a series of guidelines developed through the Delphi Consensus Method which includes people with lived experience of mental health problems and caregivers, in addition to clinical and research experts.

Award Winning

MHFA has received a number of international awards, including in Ireland the Irish Healthcare award and the IBEC Keep Well Award.