Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) - In-person 2-Day

Register:

https://whatmattrs.com/products/1-2-day-mental-health-first-aid-basic-classroom-in-person?variant=44313677725872

Cost is $150 after applying EARLY24 promo code (SAVE $120 off $270)

Date options for Oshawa, Ontario
February 21-22, 2026 or March 21-22, 2026
Civic Recreation Complex
99 Thornton Rd S, Oshawa, ON L1J 5Y1

Time: 09:00am - 05:00pm, both days

**mandatory attendance for both days**Email confirming location and meeting room details will be sent closer to the date or once minimum class size requirements are met. Class will be canceled if it does not meet minimum class size and a refund is available for this reason.

Learn how to identify signs of mental health decline, get trained in the skills to provide effective support, create a safe space that encourages them to talk, and motivate them to get help/treatment.

Contact:

About the instructor:

Matthew Rico, RN, CPMHN(C), Psychotherapist
Clinician, Educator, Consultant

https://openingminds.org/facilitator/?uid=772

Matthew has over 13+ years of experience in mental health and is a person with lived experience. He has worked with various populations and mental health disorders in many different settings. This includes youth/adolescents to older adults receiving inpatient care. He has been involved with many activities and projects such as research, quality/accreditation, and education. Matthew is a Registered Nurse (RN) by trade, specialized in mental health, with psychotherapy knowledge and training.

Matthew has been teaching non-violent crisis intervention for 10+ years, delivered Mental Health First Aid to 2100+ Canadians since 2018, and is one of the first Canadians certified to provide Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk (AMSR) training from the Zero Suicide Institute. His experience with education also includes creating workshops, presentations, and educational material for hospitals/schools and organizations. For instance, co-developing and delivering mindfulness education for hospital staff, co-creating various microcredentials at Ontario Shores on topics such as Motivational Interviewing (MI), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Self-Care in collaboration with Ontario Tech. Twice a year, Matthew also teaches on culture and mental health for nurses preparing to take their CNA exam.

Why is this experience relevant? Matthew brings his courses to life using both his personality, passion, and years of experience to capture attention. He translates the information, using presentation skills, examples, and stories that add context to the material.

Expect additional tips/strategies that compliment the MHFA content drawn from his service in mental health care. Participants are always invited to stay connected with him as an ongoing resource for questions/support related to mental health. Expect Matthew to stay back for open discussion once the class is done. Participants can use this time to ask questions on mental health topics or present personal cases/scenarios. Coping tools, other mental health disorders, and additional conversation strategies are popular requests.

Q: How does the 2-Day basic class differ from the 1-Day standard class?
A: The 2-day class is twice the length of the virtual class. This means you get more information including discussing psychotic disorders in significantly greater depth than the virtual course that was developed to focus on the most common mental health problems. If you also prefer learning in-person this is a better environment for you!

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Basic does not require any prerequisites and intended for the general public not just healthcare professionals. This course focuses on the four most common mental health disorders including substance related, mood related, anxiety and trauma related, and psychotic disorders. Participants who take this course are well prepared to interact confidently about mental health with their family, friends, communities, and workplaces.

International evaluations and feedback have found the following outcomes for participants undertaking an MHFA course:

• Increased awareness of signs and symptoms of the most common mental health problems
• Decreased stigma related to mental health
• Increased confidence interacting with individuals experiencing a mental health problem or crisis
• Increased help actually provided to individuals in crisis or experiencing a mental health problem

• Substance overdose
• Suicidal behaviour
• Panic attack
• Acute stress reaction
• Psychotic episode

Learn more -

Refund Policy:

If a course is cancelled you will receive either a full-refund or transfer credit to another course date usable at any time with no expiry. If you are unable to attend due to illness or emergency, you may only receive a one-time transfer-credit to another course date at any time not a refund.

You can always contact us for any questions at [email protected]

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Host or Publisher Matthew Rico, RN, CPMHN(C)