Mental Health First Aid International
This Mental Health First Aid Program is being adapted and rolled out by a number of countries.
- Download further information about adapting the MHFA Australia Program for another country (PDF)
- A Memorandum of Understanding needs to be signed before the Standard MHFA Program is taken to another country. Download the Standard MoU for other countries (PDF)
- A Memorandum of Understanding needs to be signed before the Youth MHFA Program is taken to another country. Download the Youth MoU for other countries (PDF)
- Download further information about the royalty to be paid MHFA Australia per manual sold (PDF)
Newsletters - MHFA International
Mental Health First Aid Scotland
http://www.smhfa.com/
The Scottish government has adopted the Mental Health First Aid Program as part of “Choose Life, A National Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent Suicide in Scotland”. In 2003, Betty travelled to Scotland to train instructors as part of a pilot of MHFA in Scotland. An independent evaluation of this pilot reported favourably on the training course. A decision was then taken by the Scottish government to “tartanize” the course and roll it out nationally. In October 2004, Betty participated in a training course in Edinburgh to establish 6 Trainers of MHFA Instructors in Scotland. The Scottish MHFA (SMHFA) Program was launched nationally on 20 June 2005. SMHFA is being rolled out across Scotland by NHS Health Scotland, as part of the work of the Scottish Executive’s national programme for Improving Mental Health and Well-being. It is planned to train 300 SMHFA Instructors to achieve a 2008 target of 40,000 people in Scotland completing the 12-hour course.
The SMHFA course is poised to be piloted in England, Wales and Ireland in 2006. Already SMHFA has trained 15 new Instructors in Ireland who will deliver the course in a Cross Border Initiative allowing people in both the Republic and Northern Ireland to get SMHFA. A similar pilot is planned in Wales over the coming year. This will involve having the SMHFA Manual and all materials translated into Welsh to ensure the course is accessible to everyone. So, in a very short time SMHFA will have rolled out across the United Kingdom and Ireland. The first National SMHFA Network event is planned for June 2006 with the aim to bring as many of the Instructors together.
Scotland's first National Networking Day for Instructors - June 27th 2006 Program PDF (516 K)
Mental Health First Aid Hong Kong
The Mental Health Association of Hong Kong brought Betty Kitchener over in March 2004 and September 2005 to train a large team of MHFA Instructors in Hong Kong. In 2006 the Association produced its modified MHFA manual and teaching materials in Chinese and since December 2008, has been conducting MHFA Instructor training courses. Among the 50 MHFA Instructors trained at the Association, there are social workers, nurses, clinical psychologists and counsellors. There are also two MHFA Instructors employed at Kwai Chung Hospital where they conduct two courses per year for its staff and two other MHFA Instructors employed as clinical psychologist staff at Hong Kong University delivering courses to the university student population. All instructors share a strong mission to promote mental health knowledge to the general public. All instructors are committed to teach 3 courses each year.
Since 2005 over 4,000 people such as interested public, corporate employees, social service staff, hospital staff and students have attended the MHFA courses. With an estimate of the ongoing demand, the association will organize 50 classes per year.
In 2009, the MHAHK held a design competition to develop a MHFA HK logo. The winning logo combines a first aid symbol and the dandelion flower, which symbolize the spread of MHFA hand in hand to everywhere it goes. Also in 2009, MHFA courses went to China for 120 staff working in mental health sector in the Guangdong area. These courses were well received and more are planned for mental health staff in China.
The MHAHK is now developing its 2nd edition Chinese MHFA manual, based on the MHFA Guidelines. Betty Kitchener has been invited to come to Hong Kong in January 2010 for our first reunion of all MHFA Hong Kong Instructors.
Submitted by Prudence Wong, MHAHK, 23 October 2009
Mental Health First Aid Canada
Mental Health First Aid Canada is continuing to sweep across the country, championed by the Alberta Mental Health Board (www.amhb.ab.ca). Since the MHFA program was introduced in Canada in October 2006, 270 instructors teach the course in communities ranging from larger metropolitan centres to smaller rural locations. Almost 20,000 people from coast to coast have completed the 12-hour or 14-hour course in Canada.
Betty Kitchener made three trips to the country, beginning with an initial visit to Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta to train 20 instructors in the Australian version of MHFA in March 2006. In November 2006, she visited again and trained two master facilitators. Additionally, the first group of MHFA Canada instructors was trained in the Canadian version of MHFA. The two Master Facilitators visited Australia in 2007 to train with Betty on the 14-hour youth course who subsequently trained several youth instructors in Canada.
On her third visit in November 2007 she presented at a MHFA web seminar attended by more than two hundred people from across Canada (a recording of the webinar can be viewed at www.mentalhealthfirstaid.ca) and she also presented at the third annual Mental Health Research Showcase in Banff, Alberta (details can be found at www.amhb.ab.ca/showcase).
Betty will be making her fourth visit to Canada in late 2009 to attend the first instructor refresher course for those instructors in their third year of certification. Betty will also be mentoring 4 MHFA Contract Trainers from British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Nova Scotia.
The MHFA Canada team continues to develop the MHFA Program for the Canadian population. Work includes:
* Second revision of the general course material is complete.
* Development of the youth version is complete.
* Translation into French of both the general and youth participant manuals and instructor manuals is complete.
* The first e-version of the general course is complete; e-version of youth is in progress.
* The Aboriginal version of MHFA Canada is in progress.
* Developing a national network of Contract Trainers with at least one Trainer in each province.
* MHFA Canada Instructor Information Bulletins launched and 5 issues sent to date with learning links to the Instructor's extranet.
* Computerized participant registration and confidential on-line pre and post course evaluations nearing completion.
* Offering training sessions to primary and secondary school staff across Alberta. The Alberta Government has set a target of having one person in every school in the province trained in mental health first aid by 2009.
* Training sessions or MHFA Canada course materials and e-version provided to all Primary Care Network medical offices in Alberta as funded by the Alberta Government.
* Developing a comprehensive and ongoing evaluation of the program through a framework with qualitative and quantitative components, developed with input from internal and external experts.
* The Alberta Mental Health Board thanks Betty Kitchener and Anthony Jorm for their ongoing advice and commitment to advancing mental health literacy.
For further information about the MHFA Canada Program, visit http://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.ca/. Questions and comments can be e-mailed to mhfacanada@amhb.ab.ca
Mental Health First Aid Finland
The National Research & Development Centre for Welfare and Health (STAKES) (http://www.stakes.fi/english/) has been involved in bringing the MHFA Program to Finland. The Finnish Association for Mental Health (http://www.mielenterveysseura.fi/english.asp?main=English) has adapted the MHFA manual for Finnish circumstances and translated it into Finnish, with plans to do a Swedish translation later this year. An additional chapter on positive mental health and promotion of mental health has been included. In May 2006, in collaboration with Mikko Häikiö from the regional Vaasa Hospital District (www.vshp.fi), Alana Atkinson (SMHFA) and Betty Kitchener (MHFA Australia) trained the first group of Finnish MHFA Instructors.
Mental Health First Aid Singapore
Mental Health First Aid Singapore commenced in 2006 when Len Kanowski trained and accredited seven MHFA instructors at the National University of Singapore (NUS). The initial training program was organised by Jeannie Koh from NUS in conjunction with MHFA Australia. The Singapore instructors came from a range of organisations including NUS, the mental health NGO Silver Ribbon Singapore and other community based organisations. MHFA Singapore became an official entity in July 2007 after a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between MHFA Australia and Changi General Hospital.
Since its commencement, MHFA Singapore has developed a Singapore version of the MHFA Course, which involved adapting the original manual to local context and producing training videos for the 12-hour course. Len trained another 11 instructors in July 07 and accredited trainers to be able to conduct the MHFA Singapore instructor training courses. MHFA Singapore then trained and accredited additional local instructors in Nov 08 and Jan 09. Other developments since the establishment of MHFA Singapore include:
* The commencement of an ongoing evaluation of the program
* The launch of MHFA Older Person module in Nov 2008, focusing on issues specific to the elderly
* The appointment of two administrative executive staff to assist with administration and business management.
* Liaison with MHFA Australia to establish the MHFA course in Cambodia
* The establishment of a module on MHFA for Doctors to be launched in 3rd Q of FY 09
* The development of MHFA Youth for Singapore to be launched in the 4th Q of FY 09
For more information on MHFA Singapore, please visit: http://www.mhfa.sg/
Please contact Ms Jass Kee at jass_kee@cgh.com.sg for any enquiries.
Mental Health First Aid England
In 2006 Betty Kitchener visited England to train 11 MHFA Instructors. After subsequent training by the MHFA Scotland National Training Team (NTT), some of these instructors went on to form the NTT for MHFA England. These instructors helped to modify the Australian MHFA programme to be suitable for an English audience.
There are now 12 members of the NTT who between them have trained over 400 MHFA England Instructors. In turn, these instructors have delivered the MHFA England 12 hour course to approximately 9000 people*. The MHFA England 12 hour course is endorsed by the Department of Health and the National Mental Health Development Unit. In December 2008, the seven-day MHFA England Instructor Course was accredited by the Royal Society for Public Health.
In September 2009, MHFA England achieved Community Interest Company status and moved into its own offices in London Bridge in March 2010.
A Youth programme is due for completion in June 2010 and a ½ day course to promote MHFA to managers and a course relating to post traumatic stress are currently in development.
Please visit http://www.mhfaengland.org/ for more information and details of courses in your area.
*figures correct as of December 2009
The article, “Mental Health First Aid – a life skill we should all have” was published in Perspectives in Public Health Journal March 2010,130 (2). The article explains how the MHFA England Program addresses the importance of early intervention for mental health problems. To download the article please "click here".
Mental Health First Aid Wales
MHFA (Wales) is a Welsh Assembly Government project and is part of the Suicide Strategy for Wales. Welsh Assembly Government in collaboration
with Mind Cymru launched Mental Health First Aid (Wales) in April 2008
with the recruitment and training of the National Training Team ( 4
National Trainers, including one Welsh speaker). Our Mental Health First
Aid (Wales) Manual is Bilingual (Welsh and English) and has been
slightly adapted to cater for the needs of the population living in
Wales).
As at December 2008 the project has trained 60 + Instructors who are currently delivering courses to the people living in Wales .
As at September 2009 the project has trained 88 Instructors who are currently delivering courses to the people living throughout Wales . Over 2000 participants have attended the 12 hour course.
For further information our website is http://www.mhfa-wales.org.uk/
Mental Health First Aid USA
The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare has partnered state governments in Maryland and Missouri to ensure a clear, evidence-based and unified MHFA curriculum in the United States. Over the past year, there has been much collaboration to refine the MHFA USA curriculum materials, track community engagement, and partner with the University of Maryland and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the US Department of Health and Human Services to evaluate the fidelity of the MHFA USA program to that of the Australian original. The final participant manuals, instructor guides and other materials will be available by October 2009. For the remainder of 2009, instructor certification trainings will be held nationwide.
For further information our website is: http://www.thenationalcouncil.org/cs/program_overview
MHFA Cambodia
Cambodia has poor resources in mental health care and Dr Sotheara Chim, a psychiatrist at the Transcultural Psychosocial Organisation International (TPO) Cambodia believes that the people of Cambodia will benefit a lot from MHFA. TPO Cambodia http://www.tpocambodia.org/ is currently adapting the MHFA program for Cambodia. The aim of MHFA Cambodia will be to train more people and para-professionals to be able to provide mental health first aid to people in their community.
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MHFA Japan
In late 2007, a group of young enthusiastic psychiatrists, led by Dr Yuriko Suzuki, wishing to improve psychiatric skills in university medical students, attended some MHFA training in Melbourne, Australia. They then wrote the MHFA-J manual which was piloted to medical students, with 6-months follow-up data being collected. The MHFA-J manual is being well-received and has been distributed to medical colleagues, related committees, the Ministry of Health and a taskforce in the Ministry of Education. Currently the MHFA-J manual is being used in a publicly funded research project. After the research period is complete in March 2010, it is hoped that the MHFA-J project will run on a non-profit business model.
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MHFA Maaori in New Zealand
Late 2008, the Counties Manukau District Health Board in New Zealand began its adaptation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander MHFA Australia Program for Maaori people. It has produced a wonderful MHFA for Whaanau manual and workbook. Whaanua is a Maaori word meaning extended family.
MHFA Northern Ireland
MHFA was first delivered in Northern Ireland as part of a pilot program in a cross-border area between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The pilot was the result of collaboration between the Health Promotion Agency (whose responsibilities have now transferred to the Public Health Agency), Cooperation and Working Together (CAWT) and Aware Defeat Depression. During the pilot, 15 instructors delivered the course to over 230 participants from a range of backgrounds using materials from Scotland’s MHFA. An evaluation of the pilot overwhelmingly indicated that participants welcomed the training and felt that it enabled them to recognise the symptoms of mental illness and that it provided them with the confidence, skill, motivation and knowledge to offer help.
Due to the success of the pilot, and in response to increasing demand for MHFA training, the HPA worked with Instructors and a Specialist Reference Group to adapt the materials specifically for use in Northern Ireland. In early 2009, Betty Kitchener co-facilitated the 5-day Standard (first edition) MHFA training course, for 27 MHFA Instructors, using the new materials. The new Instructors are representatives from the following sectors: education, health, criminal justice, voluntary, community and statutory. The standard of trainees was extremely high and everyone passed with commendation from Betty. Throughout 2009, the program has rolled out across Northern Ireland, with Credit must be given to the passion and ongoing commitment of MHFA Northern Ireland’s accomplished Instructors.
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MHFA South Africa
MHFA South Africa was launched in February 2009 in Johannesburg, South Africa, with the support of various non government organisations. The current cohort of MHFA instructors has been selected to deliver the program in various ethnic languages in anticipation of a roll out to rural areas. An art competition was held to source images from people experiencing mental illness for the MHFA South Africa manual and marketing material was well received by support groups across the country. Given the severe lack of resources in the mental health area in South Africa, the program has received positive support from both national and provincial governments. The challenge remains to accredit the program as part of continuous professional development to up-skill non healthcare professionals in MHFA and to source funding for rural deployment.
MHFA South Africa: http://www.mhfasa.co.za/about.htm
MHFA Thailand
Earlier this year, the Department of Health in Thailand adopted and adapted the MHFA Standard (first editon) manaul. Psychiatrist Dr Dr Benjaporn Panyayong, a Director within the Department of Mental Health. is leading this program
Last updated: 9-Jul-2010