Mental Health First Aid

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.

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

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

• Mental health training
• Workplace wellness programs
• Mental health certification
• Suicide prevention training
• First aid education

Headquarters

HQ city

Chennai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. Instructor Training Program: Revenue from training individuals to become Accredited MHFA Instructors, including course fees and accreditation testing.
3. Corporate Training: Customized private training sessions for corporate clients and organizations, including workplace and higher education sector training.
4. Mentoring and Support Services: Post-training support services including personal mentoring, ALGEE practice sessions, implementation support, and mini-refresher courses for organizations.
5. Merchandise Sales: Sale of MHFAider merchandise including T-shirts, badges, posters, and signage items through shop.mhfaindia.com

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core 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

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional 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

• Xx.com/mhfaindia
• Facebookfacebook.com/MentalHealthFirstAidIndia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mhfaindia

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mental Health First Aid