Mental Health First Aid

Mental Health First Aid is a nationally known program. This evidence-based, early intervention training gives you the skills to recognize when someone is facing mental health or substance use challenges - and the confidence to be their first source of support. California 4-H is offering two types of certification in Mental Health First Aid: Youth and Teen. Learn more about each below.

Youth Mental Health First Aid

For adults to support youth ages 12-18. Youth Mental Health First Aid certification gives adults the skills to recognize when someone is facing mental health or substance use challenges.

Requirements

Adults ages 18 and up. Costs are covered by the state 4-H office for California 4-H adult volunteers and professionals.

Two sessions totaling 6 hours to complete certification. Pre-work (1-2 hours) is required before the courses begin.

teen Mental Health First Aid

For teens ages 14-18. With certification in teen Mental Health First Aid, teens gain the confidence they need to start difficult conversations about mental health and substance use.

Requirements

California 4-H teen ages 14 - 18 in counties with a minimum of 2 adults certified in Youth Mental Health First Aid.

xx sessions totaling xx hours to complete certification. Pre-work is also required before the courses begin.

Schedule of Certification Courses

All courses listed here are led by 4-H professionals who are trained as instructors in Youth Mental Health First Aid/teen Mental Health First Aid. Curriculum is evidence-based with a focus on early intervention. To register for the 2026 Youth Mental Health First Aid sessions, please do so here at least one week in advance of your desired course date.

Youth Mental Health First Aid Certification Courses

Attendance is required for both sessions to receive certification.

February 25 & 26, 2026; 5 - 8 p.m. via Zoom Register by Feb. 18
April 20 & 21, 2026; 5 - 8 p.m. via Zoom Register by Apr. 13
September 22 & 24, 2026; 5 - 8 p.m. via Zoom Register by Sept. 15

teen Mental Health First Aid Certification Courses

Attendance is required for all sessions to receive certification.

Why you should become certified

Create a healthier, more supportive community

Mental Health First Aid certification teaches you to identify, understand and respond to mental health and substance use challenges. You will learn how to spot the signs that someone might be struggling and then use proven strategies to help them.

More than half of young people with unmet mental health needs
think no one would care if they got better.

The evidence-based training in Mental Health First Aid helps you build a support network that gives youth hope and a way forward. Help them understand it's OK to not be OK, and create a safe space to talk.

Break the stigma

This training takes the fear out of talking about mental health by showing you how to safely identify and help with mental health or substance use challenges.

Be prepared to help others

Learn how to apply the MHFA ALGEE Action Plan to help someone in a variety of situations, from a panic attack to an overdose.

Understand their struggles

Learn what they're going through and how to find the right support.

Help them get the care they need

Help teens know when to escalate their concerns to a parent, guardian or trusted adult they can trust to find resources and professional help.

Impacts

Youth Mental Health First Aid Research Findings

Studies of Youth MHFA have found that individuals trained in the program show increased mental health literacy and confidence to help a young person in distress.

Research and Evaluation of Youth Mental Health First Aid

teen Mental Health First Aid Research Findings

A study of tMHFA on 1,915 teens across 44 high schools found that after the course, teens showed increased endorsement of helpful intentions and decreased endorsement of unhelpful or harmful intentions toward a peer.

Research and Evaluation of teen Mental Health First Aid