Why Become Instructor MHFA India | Mental Health First Aid

You can educate your community with the right knowledge on mental health. Thus you can become a great influencer on the way communities understand and address mental health problems.

Delivering of the training will give you the opportunity to meet people across sectors and cultures which will enrich your network and knowledge.

While continuing your profession you can add on to your experience by delivering the training in flexible way.

You become part of a change making initiative and a well-organized community.

Selection criteria

The Instructor program can be taken up by anyone who aspires to bring the change in the mental health of their community. However, to maintain the International Standards and quality of the MHFA delivery, we have the following list of selection criteria for individuals who want to become Accredited Instructors. Note that in response to Covid-19 situation , MHFA India is providing the MHFA Instructor course in a Blended mode ONLY for Blended version.

Knowledge of mental health problems and their treatments.
Personal or professional experience supporting people with mental illnesses.
Positive attitudes towards people with mental health problems.
Enthusiasm to deliver MHFA courses.
Excellent training experience and communication skills.
Knowledge of mental health situation and service in the country.
Good interpersonal skills.
A business plan on training provision.
A proven record of good conduct at community and workplaces

What will you learn during the Instructor Training

Introduction to the 12 hours SMHFA course.
A good understanding of a cluster of mental health disorders.
Skills to apply the Action Plan ALGEE when a mental health problem is developing or is in crises.
How to apply the program to a range of adult learning styles.
Ways to promote and deliver the training effectively.
Understand the challenges and ways to manage the training in different situations.
To build on your confidence and presentation skills to deliver the SMHFA.

Training Approach

Every training accommodates only 16-18 participants at a time.
Each Instructor candidate will learn independently the E learning and be present on Instructor Led Online Sessions
Each Instructor candidate will present and teach an assigned portion of the 12-hour course to the group.
Each Instructor candidate will provide a peer review for their colleagues.
Each Instructor candidate will write an exam on the knowledge gained.
Outside the training, you are expected to do 10 hours of your own study.

Certification is not guaranteed for all participants. To become Certified, participants must be present for the entire training, satisfactorily deliver the presentation and pass a written exam. For more information, visit our FAQs Page.

What do Instructors do

The primary role of an Instructor is to deliver the 12-hour Standard MHFA course with core framework and key messages. Instructors are expected to prepare and submit their MHFA Instructor business agenda which will cover the main strategies for training implementation in their communities. For the first year, the training should be delivered by teaming up with a Senior Accredited Instructor. Instructors can teach on their own after being accredited.

To teach a course, Certified Instructors must :

Set up their training calendar and open courses at MHFA India training system.
Purchase the access to E-learning and MHFA India Manual for their trainee.

Putting on a course involves much more than just showing up and teaching it.

Strategic planning (e.g., creating business plans, forming community partnerships, outreach)
Setting a course schedule
Setting the course fees
Marketing and media outreach
Course registration
Evaluation and analysis of program’s success.

Further information can be found in the Agreement document which will be provided to all the Instructors post training. If you have any queries you can contact MHFA India directly.

How to Maintain Accreditation

To gain and maintain Accreditation, Instructors are required to:

Regularly deliver MHFA Courses (a minimum of 4 courses a year)
Respect the agreement signed with MHFA India.
Undertake regular continuing professional development.
Pay an annual membership fee of ₹ 5000 + GST.

Who do Instructors Teach

MHFA India is Licensed by MHFA International, Australia in managing and delivering the following courses

Blended MHFA for Work Places
Blended MHFA for Students ( tertiary system)
Blended MHFA for Communities
Suicide Prevention conversation MHFA
Non Suicide Self Injury MHFA.

You may chose to train on one of the Blended Course: Work Places , Students, or Communities. The course is usually delivered to

Staffs at work places
Students at colleges and Universities
Groups such home makers, voluntary workers etc.
Allied health professionals
Police and law enforcement staffs.
Human Resources professionals,
Members of the faith community, etc.

Why train with us

Whether you want to conduct the SMHFA training in your spare time or part of your other training business or your work place, we help you to build a healthy stigma free society. MHFA India is the only licensed provider of the SMHFA course and Instructor training program in our country. The program is evidence based and is regularly updated by academic research by experts and users of mental health services. The course is conducted by our national Instructors who are highly qualified and experienced. The training is conducted in a safe and engaging learning environment. We ensure that the same quality of the International program is upheld and the course is delivered according to the agreed standards. This is followed up through the rigorous feedback and evaluations which are carried out as part of the Instructor agreement with us.

Apply for Instructors Course