EDUCATION
YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING COURSE - YMHFA
The YMHFA course equips participants with the knowledge and skills needed to understand the concepts of mental health, recognise, respond to, and provide support to young people who may be experiencing mental health challenges.
Today’s youth face a range of pressures and challenges, including academic demands, social expectations, family dynamics, and exposure to trauma or adverse experiences. This course aims to empower participants to better understand these challenges and develop the confidence to provide meaningful support to young people in need.
Our YMHFA Courses are based on the Registered course. We've extracted the best bits and those we feel are the most important and easiest to digest and activate. We have combined the experience of our lived experience parents, carers and young people, also Doctors, Academics and profossional trainers.
This course is intended to provide participants with the following outcomes, skills and knowledge;
Know how to respond to emerging mental health crises, ensuring the safety of the young person and understanding where to seek immediate help or professional support.
Develop an understanding of the unique challenges youth face and how to provide appropriate support to help them navigate these pressures while promoting resilience and wellbeing.
Empowering participants with the knowledge and skills to understand youth mental health concepts and recognise the physical, behavioural, and psychological signs indicating a change in a young person’s mental wellbeing.
Address immediate safety concerns for a young person in the aftermath of a distressing or traumatic incident.
OUR TRAINERS
MARY BLANKEVOORT
Mary is an entrepreneur, trainer, and passionate advocate for mental health.
She co-founded and runs Metro Training, a vocational education business established in 2009, specialising in first aid, workplace health and safety, and compliance consulting across childcare, aged care, hospitality, and community services. A graduate of the UNSW in Industrial Relations and Political Science. before building a career in training and operations, coordinating complex IT implementations and workforce development programs. She brings over two decades of experience to her work—translating systems, safety, and wellbeing into practical, engaging solutions for teams and individuals.
Mary is also a mother of two neurodivergent young adults. Her own late ADHD diagnosis at age 45 sparked a powerful journey of self-discovery, acceptance, and transformation, deepening her lived experience and empathy for others navigating mental health challenges.
As a certified Youth Mental Health First Aid instructor, Mary is honoured to work with the Please Stay Foundation, helping equip others with the tools, insight, and compassion needed to support young people in crisis and their families. Her goal is to make complex ideas easy to understand—and to always teach with a bit of humour, heart, and real-life experience.Many thanks for the trust and opportunity to work with you - it is a privilege I don’t take lightly.