Mental Health First Aid
Mental Health First Aid India is a Chennai-based licensed training provider delivering evidence-based Mental Health First Aid courses using the ALGEE methodology to individuals, corporates, and universities across India through accredited instructors, with post-certification mentoring, recognition, and community programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersChennai, India
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Mental Health First Aid does
Mental Health First Aid India (MHFA India) is a Chennai-based, privately held MSME-registered training company that operates as the exclusive Indian licensee of Mental Health First Aid International, the program originally developed in Australia in 2000. The company delivers evidence-based mental health first aid training programs to individuals, corporates, and higher education institutions across India, using the proprietary ALGEE methodology — a structured framework covering Approach/assess, Listen non-judgmentally, Give reassurance, Encourage professional help, and Encourage self-help strategies. Course offerings span the Standard MHFA course, specialized programs (Suicide Prevention, Non-Suicidal Self-Injury), role-targeted variants (Mental Health Knowledge for Managers), setting-specific blended courses (Workplaces, Higher Education, Public), and a half-day Refresher course required for reaccreditation every three years. Training is delivered face-to-face, blended, or hybrid through a nationwide network of Accredited MHFA Instructors who themselves graduate from the company's Instructor Program. Pricing is one-time per course with public-calendar self-serve booking for individuals and dedicated corporate sales for enterprise clients, supplemented by organizational add-on modules including personal mentoring (6-12 month assignments), ALGEE practice sessions, implementation support, and mini-refresher courses. Revenue is generated across five streams: standard course fees, instructor training, corporate training, mentoring/support services, and branded merchandise. The post-certification ecosystem includes a private MHFAiders forum, a Recognition Awards program for corporate adopters, podcasts, blogs, and awareness campaigns (including annual suicide prevention and men's mental health initiatives). Named enterprise customers include Air Asia, P&G, BECHTEL, STANTEC, OSB (OneBank), and Cholamandalam. The company is founder-led by Erinda Shah with no disclosed external funding, operates as a small organization (11-50 employees), and positions itself within a global framework that has trained 600,000+ people and certified 60,000+ instructors across 30 countries.
Mental Health First Aid firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mental Health First Aid
- Legal name
- Mental Health First Aid India
- Website
- https://mhfaindia.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Mental Health First Aid India is a Chennai-based licensed training provider delivering evidence-based Mental Health First Aid courses using the ALGEE methodology to individuals, corporates, and universities across India through accredited instructors, with post-certification mentoring, recognition, and community programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mental Health First Aid industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mental Health Training and Certification
- NAICS
- Educational Services (61), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Emergency Response, First Aid/CPR/AED & Incident Management Training (BPAKAOAJ)
Keywords
Where Mental Health First Aid is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chennai
- HQ country
- India
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Mental Health First Aid business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Mental Health Training Courses: Revenue from providing Standard MHFA courses, specialized courses (Suicide Prevention, Non-Suicidal Self-Injury), and blended programs for individuals and organizations. Courses include accreditation testing and certification fees.
- Instructor Training Program: Revenue from training individuals to become Accredited MHFA Instructors, including course fees and accreditation testing.
- Corporate Training: Customized private training sessions for corporate clients and organizations, including workplace and higher education sector training.
- Mentoring and Support Services: Post-training support services including personal mentoring, ALGEE practice sessions, implementation support, and mini-refresher courses for organizations.
- Merchandise Sales: Sale of MHFAider merchandise including T-shirts, badges, posters, and signage items through shop.mhfaindia.com
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Standard MHFA Course cancellation policy |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Instructor Training cancellation policy |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Corporate Training cancellation policy |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Mental Health First Aid product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mental Health First Aid India delivers standardized, evidence-based mental health first aid training courses and certification programs under license from Mental Health First Aid International. The offering spans audience-specific variants for workplaces, higher education institutions, and the general public, covering core mental health literacy, suicide prevention, non-suicidal self-injury, manager-level awareness, and an instructor certification program. Courses are delivered through blended formats combining online self-paced modules with instructor-led face-to-face sessions.
Product overview
Mental Health First Aid India offers a comprehensive suite of mental health training programs and support services. The core offering includes multiple training course formats: Standard MHFA (the foundational course), specialized courses (Suicide Prevention, Non-Suicidal Self-Injury), workplace-focused programs (Mental Health Knowledge for Managers, Blended Workplace Course), higher education programs, and awareness sessions (One-Hour Mental Health Awareness). The company also provides instructor certification through its MHFA Instructor Program, enabling qualified professionals to deliver MHFA training. Beyond training, MHFA India offers organizational support including Personal Mentoring, ALGEE Practice Sessions, Implementation Support, and Mini-Refresher courses. The MHFAider ecosystem includes a Private Forum for community connection, the MHFAider India Recognition Program (awards for organizations), and branded merchandise. Educational content includes blogs, podcasts, campaigns (notably the annual Suicide Prevention Campaign), case studies, and research publications. All programs are evidence-based, rigorously updated, and delivered through accredited instructors licensed by MHFA International.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Standard MHFA Course
Quantifiable outcome
- Improved mental health literacy and knowledge about mental illnesses and treatments among participants
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Mental Health First Aid
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Mental Health First Aid technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Mental Health First Aid partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Mental Health First Aid competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- iCall (TISS): Psychological helpline and mental health support service run by Tata Institute of Social Sciences in India. Comparable in addressing mental health literacy and support in India, with a different delivery model (helpline vs. certified training).
- The Live Love Laugh Foundation: Indian mental health non-profit focused on stigma reduction and mental health awareness. Comparable as an India-focused mental health literacy organization, though non-profit and broader in scope than MHFA India's certified training model.
- Vandrevala Foundation: Indian mental health NGO providing crisis helpline, training, and awareness programs. Comparable as an Indian mental health awareness and training provider, though broader in scope and non-profit.
Emerging players
- Wysa: India-headquartered AI-driven mental health platform serving enterprises and consumers globally. Comparable as an India-based mental health service targeting workplace mental wellbeing, with an overlapping corporate buyer base though different delivery format (digital vs. in-person training).
- YourDOST: Indian online counseling and emotional wellness platform serving corporates and individuals. Comparable as an India-based mental health service addressing workplace emotional support needs with a digital-first model.
Direct peers
- Mental Health First Aid England: Sister licensed program delivering the same MHFA curriculum in England under a separate license from MHFA International. Directly comparable in product offering, instructor accreditation model, and target customer base.
- Mental Health First Aid Australia: Originator of the MHFA program and MHFA India's licensor. Directly comparable as the original training provider of the same ALGEE-based curriculum and certification, serving as both parent program and benchmark peer.
- Mental Health First Aid USA: Licensed MHFA program operator in the United States. Directly comparable in course portfolio, instructor network, and workplace/community training model.
Broad incumbents
- Mental Health America: Largest US-based mental health advocacy and education non-profit offering mental health training and resources. Comparable as an established mental health literacy and training provider, but operating at much larger scale and with broader non-training activities.
Others
- Asha Impact / EAP providers in India (e.g., Optum, Medi Assist EAP): Corporate Employee Assistance Program providers operating in India that include mental health training as part of broader wellness offerings. Comparable as adjacent enterprise mental health training providers competing for the same corporate buyer budgets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Mental Health First Aid social profiles
Digital presenceMental Health First Aid compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Mental Health First Aid financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mental Health First Aid leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Mental Health First Aid funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mental Health First Aid M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Mental Health First Aid
What does Mental Health First Aid do?
Mental Health First Aid India delivers standardized, evidence-based mental health first aid training courses and certification programs under license from Mental Health First Aid International. The offering spans audience-specific variants for workplaces, higher education institutions, and the general public, covering core mental health literacy, suicide prevention, non-suicidal self-injury, manager-level awareness, and an instructor certification program. Courses are delivered through blended formats combining online self-paced modules with instructor-led face-to-face sessions.
Is Mental Health First Aid a public or private company?
Mental Health First Aid is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Mental Health First Aid founded?
Mental Health First Aid was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Mental Health First Aid based?
Mental Health First Aid is headquartered in Chennai, India, in the Asia region.
How does Mental Health First Aid make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Mental Health Training Courses are the primary driver. The others are instructor Training Program, corporate Training, mentoring and Support Services and merchandise Sales.
Who are Mental Health First Aid's main competitors?
Regional players on record are iCall (TISS), The Live Love Laugh Foundation and Vandrevala Foundation. Emerging players are Wysa and YourDOST. Direct peers are Mental Health First Aid England, Mental Health First Aid Australia and Mental Health First Aid USA. Mental Health America is listed as a broad incumbent. Asha Impact / EAP providers in India (e.g., Optum, Medi Assist EAP) is listed as an others.
Does Mental Health First Aid have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mental Health First Aid.
What industry is Mental Health First Aid in?
Mental Health First Aid's product category is Mental Health Training and Certification. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAKAOAJ, Emergency Response, First Aid/CPR/AED & Incident Management Training. Its NAICS code is 61 and its SIC code is 8200.