Requesting Adult Mental Health First Aid
from the Tribal TTA Center
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)
1
teaches you how to identify, understand, and respond to signs
of mental health and substance use challenges among adults. This fact sheet provides
information on what communities should know prior to requesting MHFA training and
technical assistance (TTA).
Course Overview
The 7.5-hour Adult MHFA Course focuses on recognizing the patterns of thoughts, feelings,
behaviors, and appearance that show there might be a mental health challenge. Participants
are taught the MHFA Action Plan so they can apply it to non-crisis and crisis situations. MHFA is
comprised of ten learning segments. The ten learning segments include the following:
• Segment 1: Welcome to Mental Health
First Aid
• Segment 2: Mental Health and Mental
Disorders
• Segment 3: Role of the Mental health
First Aider and Self-Care
• Segment 4: Common Mental health
Disorders in the United States
• Segment 5: Recognizing the Signs and
Symptoms
• Segment 6: ALGEE: Mental Health First
Aid Action Plan
• Segment 7: MHFA for Early Signs and
Symptoms
• Segment 8: MHFA for Worsening Signs
and Symptoms
• Segment 9: MHFA for Crisis Situations
• Segment 10: Self-care for the Mental
Health First Aider
The MHFA instructor-led course can be taught in a single 7.5-hour session, broken into two
sessions delivered over 2 days, or four sessions and delivered over 4 days in-person, virtually, or
in a hybrid format.
In-Person
Registration is not required but suggested. Trainers can host the training and submit required
documentation to the MHFA portal for certification after the training has been completed.
Requires printing documents for pre-course work.
Virtual
The virtual MHFA course is 2 hours for self-paced and 6.5 hours instructor-led virtual.
Registration is required prior to the course to complete the pre-course work required for online
course training.
1
From the National Council for Mental Wellbeing
www.samhsa.gov
| 1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727)
2
Blended
The blended MHFA course is 2 hours self-paced virtual and; 6.5 hours instructor-led in-person.
Registration is required prior to the course to complete pre-course work to be able to
participate in in-person course training.
Materials
Manuals for each participant are required. Participant Processing Guides (PPG) are optional;
however, PPGs enhance the learning experience for each participant as an additional resource.
The manual’s cost estimate is $19.95. PPG’s cost estimate is $9.95. Printings and other
materials needed are a projector, projector screen, speakers, markers, and flipchart paper.
These supply costs may be covered as part of a TTA request.
Instructor Training Consideration
One to two trainers are needed to conduct the training for a certification credit with a
maximum of 30 participants. An additional instructor is used as support. A minimum of five
participants are needed to fulfill course training requirements.
Adult Mental Health First Aid Action Plan
The MHFA action plan is illustrated below.
How to Request MHFA TTA
After a TTA request is received, Tribal TTA Center staff respond to set up an intake call. From
there, Tribal TTA Center staff work with the community to best meet their needs. Communities
can contact the Tribal TTA Center to submit TTA inquiries via:
https://www.samhsa.gov/tribal-ttac/contact-us
Phone: 1-800-953-1379
189 E. Nelson Avenue #249 Wasilla, AK 99654
