Mental Health First Aid Certification Program

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a public education program that introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health challenges, builds understanding of their impact and provides an overview of appropriate supports. It teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders.

ALA’s Mental Health First Aid Certification Program is an interactive training course comprised of 2 hours of self-paced content (to be completed online independently prior to the live session) and one 6.5-hour instructor-led session over Zoom. The one-day training program will be offered on four separate Fridays. Due to the interactive nature of this course, there is a maximum of 30 participants per offering.

Winter 2023 course dates:

Friday, January 13, 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Central  

Friday, January 20, 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Central 

Friday, January 27, 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Central 

Friday, February 3, 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Central 

Registration for summer and fall 2023 sessions will open later in 2023. Visit the Save the Date page for more information.

Background

One in five Americans has a mental illness, but many are reluctant to seek help or might not know where to turn for care. It's hard enough for friends and family to know when and how to provide support. But when mental health challenges affect an individual's work, their employers and colleagues may be at even more of loss about what to do.

Just as CPR helps even those without clinical training to assist an individual having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) prepares participants to interact with a person experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis. Mental Health First Aiders learn a five-step action plan that guides them through the process of reaching out and offering appropriate support.

MHFA was introduced in the United States in 2008 and has become a significant movement here — over 2 million people are certified Mental Health First Aiders, and that number is growing every day. The course is offered to a variety of audiences, including university professors and staff; doctors, nurses and other hospital employees; employers; business leaders; faith communities; and law enforcement.

A 2018 study of the Adult and Youth Mental Health USA curricula concluded that the program:

• Reduced stigma around mental illness.
• Increased participant knowledge about mental health.
• Raised participant confidence to use the MHFA five-step action plan (ALGEE).
  

Course Details

MHFA is designed for firms with locations/a presence in the United States and is a public education program that introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health challenges, builds understanding of their impact and provides an overview of appropriate supports. The course uses role-playing and simulations to demonstrate how to offer initial help in a mental health crisis and connect people to the appropriate professional, peer, social and self-help care. The program also teaches common risk factors and warning signs of mental health challenges.

Each class is provided in a blended format:

• Online Prework: It takes place on an e-learning platform in a self-paced, on-demand format. Participants will be invited to complete this on their own the week prior to their registered date. This self-paced work is expected to take approximately two hours and must be completed prior to the start of the live session.
  

• Friday Live Session: This session is led by an instructor. Held over Zoom, this part of the course provides an interactive experience for 6.5 hours of synchronous learning. View the MHFA Course Syllabus provided by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.
  

• Obtaining Certificate: Following the conclusion of the live session, attendees will be asked to complete a post-test to obtain their Mental Health First Aid Certification certificate, which is valid for three years.

This course teaches attendees how to apply the ALGEE action plan:

• Assess for risk of suicide or harm.
• Listen nonjudgmentally.
• Give reassurance and information.
• Encourage appropriate professional help.
• Encourage self-help and other support strategies.

As part of their enrollment, each participant will have access to:

• The Mental Health First Aid Participant E-Manual, which provides detailed information on how to use the MHFA five-step action plan, plus peer-reviewed research on signs, symptoms and how to support others
• The Participant Processing Guide, used throughout the course
• National mental health resources
• A Self-Care Action Plan

Continuing Education Credits

This program has been approved for 7.5 CLM credit hours, as follows:

• 2-hour Mental Health First Aid Intro (self-paced): 2 credits
  • CLM App category: Organizational Development
  • No functional specialist credit
  • Recertification category: Communications and Organizational Management (CM)
• Instructor-led portion: 3.5 credits
  • CLM App category: None
  • Functional Specialist: Human Resources Management
  • Recertification category: Human Resources Management
• 1 credit:
  • Self-Management
• 1 credit:
  • Recertification: Substance Abuse

   

National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)

ALA is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State Boards of Accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. For more information please visit the  NASBA website.

All winter 2023 sessions of MHFA have been reviewed and approved for 1 hour of Personnel/Human Resources credit. To receive CPE credit, you will need to reach out to [email protected] to receive your NASBA certificate. 

HR Certification Institute (HRCI)

ALA is a recognized provider of HRCI recertification credits. All winter 2023 sessions of MHFA have been reviewed and approved for 7.5 hours of HRCI credits. For more information about certification or recertification, please visit the HR Certification Institute website.

To receive HRCI credit, you will need to self-report that you have completed the post-test and obtained your certificate. The HRCI codes issued for the 2023 Mental Health First Aid Certification Programs are:

• January 13: 620806
• January 20: 620806
• January 27: 620806
• February 3: 620806

The use of this seal is not an endorsement by the HR Certification Institute of the quality of the activity. It means that this activity has met the HR Certification Institute’s criteria to be preapproved for recertification credit.

Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM)

ALA is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs). All winter 2023 sessions of MHFA have been reviewed and approved for 7.5 hours for SHRM credits. For more information about certification or recertification, please visit shrmcertification.org.

To receive SHRM credit, you will need to self-report that you have completed the post-test and obtained your certificate. The SHRM codes issued for the winter 2023 Mental Health First Aid Certification Programs are:

• January 13: 23-NNPV7
• January 20: 23-NNPV7
• January 27: 23-NNPV7
• February 3: 23-NNPV7

Speakers

Soumya Palreddy, PhD, is a National Trainer, anti-bias anti-racism educator and licensed psychologist. Dr. Palreddy has trained thousands of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Instructors and First Aiders over the last six years and currently provides consultation and mentoring to MHFA Instructors in a variety of settings. Bringing warmth and energy, she provides training and promotes transformative change in the areas of mental health literacy, health care inequities, centering anti-racism, leadership development and supervision. Currently, Palreddy is a National Trainer for Mental Health First Aid (teen, youth, adult), a medical consultant for the Social Security Administration, and a curriculum developer for nationally recognized mental health public education programs and train-the-trainers.

www.soumyapalreddyconsulting.com

www.linkedin.com/in/soumya-palreddy-phd

Jill Kluesner, MA, CRC, is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, National Trainer and public health programming consultant. She has 15+ years of experience working as a provider, advocate, educator, published author and instructional designer. In the state of Iowa, she is revered as a leader in community mental health education, as evidenced by creating the path for increasing statewide mental health literacy efforts, providing 200+ Mental Health First Aid courses.

Kluesner has extensive experience in advancing change within the local and national healthcare landscape. Traveling across the United States, she serves as a National Trainer for the National Council for Behavioral Health, providing train-the-trainer programs in Mental Health First Aid. She has extensive experience providing evidence-based behavioral health trainings for K-12 schools, institutions of higher education, corporations, adult and pediatric medical and behavioral health providers, child welfare programs and faith communities.

Partnering with the University of Iowa, Kluesner has been an integral part of the redesign of the statewide Peer Support Specialist and Family Peer Support Specialist training curricula. In addition to curriculum development and redesign, Kluesner provides training program evaluations to monitor and ensure quality programming and fidelity.

Kluesner completed her undergraduate work at Iowa State University and her graduate work in Rehabilitation Counseling and Public Health at the University of Iowa.