Mental Health First Aid

Health Promotion

Mental Health First Aid is a skills-based training course that teaches participants about mental health and substance-use issues created by the National Council on Mental Well-being. This training will teach participants to identify, understand, and respond to a wide range of psychological distress, including: 

  • Suicidal ideation
  • Non-suicidal self harm
  • Panic attacks
  • Acute psychosis
  • Overdose or withdrawal from alcohol or drug use
  • And more

DU staff, faculty, and students can receive this training entirely free of charge. The 8-hour training is offered in-person and class sizes are are restricted (max participants: 30) to ensure 1:1 attention and participants will put their learning into practice through simulations throughout the training.

Over 40 peer-reviewed articles have found this training to:

  • Increase mental health literacy
  • Increase self-confidence and efficacy to help an individual in distress
  • Decrease stigma against and increase empathy for those with mental illness
  • To be effective across many demographics

How to Sign Up: 

Email MHFA@du.edu to sign up for an upcoming training or request a closed section for your department (must be 10-30 people). 

Note: Participants must be available and attend all of the 8-hour course to receive certification.

Open* scheduled sessions for the remainder of 2025:

  • Wednesday, August 20th 
  • Friday, September 26th 
  • Thursday, October 23rd
  • Tuesday, Dec. 2nd 

*At this time, DU MHFA is limited to those with a DU affiliation (student, staff, or faculty). Public MHFA training options can be found at the MHFA-Colorado website.