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Mental Health Week

When Life Gets Hard, You Can Be Ready

Learn Psychological First Aid with the Canadian Red Cross.

In recognition of CMHA’s Mental Health Week 2026, the Canadian Red Cross invites Canadians to build practical skills that help them respond to stress, loss, and crisis with clarity and confidence.

Life does not always give warning. Psychological First Aid (PFA) gives you tools you can use immediately — at home, at work, and in your community.

Boost mental health


Why Psychological First Aid Matters

Stress, grief, burnout, and crisis affect families, workplaces, and communities across Canada every day.
Person sitting on a bench holding their chest and struggling to breathe while another person approaches
Photo: Canadian Red Cross

Psychological First Aid helps you:

  • Recognize signs of stress and emotional distress
  • Respond without judgment or assumptions
  • Protect your own mental well-being
  • Support others in a calm and practical way
  • Strengthen emotional well-being in your workplace or community

The Canadian Red Cross trains 960,000 Canadians each year in first aid and safety programs, and applies that same structured, skills-based approach to mental health preparedness through Psychological First Aid, with certification recognized across Canada.

When life gets hard, readiness makes a difference.

FIND THE RIGHT PFA COURSE FOR YOU


What Psychological Readiness Looks Like

Moment of difficulty:

  • A colleague overwhelmed after a critical incident.
  • A teenager withdrawing after a loss.
  • A caregiver feeling emotionally drained.
Moment of readiness:
  • You pause.
  • You listen without judgment.
  • You recognize distress.
  • You respond with practical support.

Psychological First Aid provides structured, evidence-informed guidance for those moments. Red Cross PFA uses a unique case-based learning approach which enables learners to apply the concepts of loss, stress, and trauma in a safe environment and relevant context.


Choose Your Path to PFA Readiness

 

Self-Care Online Training

Start with yourself. Strengthen coping skills and create a practical self-care plan you can use right away.

Learn more

Caring for Others Online Training

Learn how to recognize distress in others and respond with confidence, compassion, and practical support.

Learn more

Self-Care & Wellness

Go deeper with guided learning. Apply self-care tools through real-life scenarios, discussion, and reflection.

Learn more

Psychological First Aid Certification

Become certified in Psychological First Aid. Build the confidence to support people through stress, grief, and crisis using trauma-informed best practices.

Learn more
 


Canadian Red Cross National Leadership

 

National Reach

Delivers training nationwide through certified instructors and Training Partners. 85+ years of experience delivering first aid and safety training across Canada.

Evidence-Based High-Quality Curriculum

Updates programs regularly to align with evolving best practices. Integrates traumainformed approaches grounded in real-world response experience.

Flexible Learning Options

Choose from various learning formats: blended learning (in-class and online courses), instructor-led courses, and online-only training.


As Canada’s leader in preparedness training, we bring the same rigour and reliability to psychological readiness as we do to First Aid and emergency response.

Mental health readiness is not abstract. It is a skill you can learn.

When life gets hard, you can be ready. Start learning today!