The Children’s Cabinet offers free online and in-person courses for adults looking to support youth called Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA). The National Council has provided the curriculum and training and funding was granted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

These classes are designed to teach parents, mentors, teachers, coaches, health and human services workers, and other caring citizens how to help adolescents (age 12-18) who are experiencing mental health, addiction, or are in crisis. Anyone interested can sign up for a one-day training session, and The Children’s Cabinet offers these free classes every month.

The course introduces common mental health challenges for youth, reviews typical adolescent development, and teaches a 5-step action plan to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations. Topics covered include anxiety, depression, substance use, disorders in which psychosis may occur, disruptive behavior disorders (including AD/HD), and eating disorders. Each year, thousands of people are trained to provide CPR first aid, so we encourage everyone to be ready for a possible mental health crisis and connect those struggling with mental health with the help they all deserve.

Adults may also download a one-sheet here.

For more information about our other programs that serve youth mental health, please visit our Signs of Suicide and Family Counseling pages.