When someone faints from heat exhaustion, most of us know how to respond. But what if a colleague is having a panic attack or silently struggling with burnout or anxiety? Traditional wellness programs often aren’t equipped to meet today’s mental health needs, especially when stigma prevents some people from seeking help. That’s why more chief human resource officers (CHRO) are investing in programs that help employees recognize and respond to these less visible crises.
Recent research underscores the scale of the challenge:
In response, organizations are adopting the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) model. This nationally recognized training helps employees identify early signs of distress, respond with empathy, and connect peers to the right support before issues escalate.
The more issues and stresses we catch earlier, the less intensive resources we’ll need later.
— Chief People Officer, Seramount listening tour
How MHFA Training Works
Participants of the MHFA program walk away with a 5-step action plan to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness or substance use disorders. The curriculum covers common conditions like depression, anxiety, psychosis, and trauma, and emphasizes connecting individuals to the right professional, peer, or self-help support. The program itself is not intended to diagnose or treat. Instead, it is designed to help employees recognize signs of mental health or substance use challenges; engage in open conversations using evidence-based strategies; and connect peers to professional care or internal resources.
CHROs say the program leads to increased mental health literacy, reduced stigma, and greater confidence in supporting peers. Many organizations find that MHFA becomes a bridge between reactive EAP services and a more proactive, peer-embedded support culture.
Training options include:
A standard 8-hour course (in-person or blended format)
Specialized modules tailored to different audiences, including workplaces
A 3-day facilitator certification for in-house trainers
How Employers are Customizing MHFA
The MHFA model is consistent, but how it’s implemented can vary based on an organization’s structure, culture, and employee demographics. For example, some companies offer adapted, shorter awareness sessions that are not part of the core curriculum. Here’s how three employers brought MHFA into their organizations in distinct ways, each adapting the program to their own realities.
Giant Eagle adopted a “train-the-trainer” model to speed up implementation. Specifically, they certified internal facilitators via 3-day trainings who then led sessions for regional frontline leaders. The in-person sessions emphasized improving accessibility and retention among high-turnover and older demographics. All participants passed the certification, leading to gains in knowledge and confidence across the board.
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Industry: Finance
Employees: 3,000
Distinct Challenges: High stress roles; security staff see most employees daily
Leadership at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York decided to deliver training across multiple functional areas, most notable including building security officers. Officers were prioritized because of their regular interactions with staff. Training was paired with Lyra Health, a mental health benefits platform, and supported by ongoing internal events and communication. In addition to strengthening early intervention and support pathways, the trainings helped encourage more staff to attend internal wellness events.
Zachry Construction adopted MHFA through a jobsite safety lens. Participants included field leads and safety officers. Notably, champions of the program applied stickers to their hard hats to visibly signal their support. Ultimately, the tactic led to stronger peer trust and willingness to seek support. Now, MHFA is seen as part of the company’s safety culture.
Best Practices Across Employers
While these employers operate in disparate industries with different workforces, their MHFA implementations share several strategic throughlines. What worked in each case included thoughtful adaptation of the model to workforce realities, culture, and infrastructure. Across all three examples, we consistently see the following approaches show the strongest engagement and impact:
Visibility
Identify or mark trained participants so coworkers know who to turn to
Tailor by Role
Start with roles that interact with larger groups (managers, site leads)
Embed in Systems
Integrate MHFA into existing programs like wellness, safety, or EAPs
Reinforce
Use events, comms, and leadership modeling to keep MHFA visible
Planning To Embed MHFA In Your Workplace? Start Here.
Mental Health First Aid offers a tested, replicable way to build a more responsive workplace for organizations struggling with burnout, absenteeism, low engagement, and other issues. It doesn’t replace clinical care, but it can change how colleagues show up for one another day to day. If you are considering embedding MFHA in how your teams operate, start by answering these questions:
Who are we training first? (Frontline, HR, site leads?)
What format fits best? (Standard course vs. adapted awareness session?)
How will we signal who’s trained?
What support do our First Aiders need?
How does this fit into our broader wellbeing ecosystem?
Grace Licsko is a Research Analyst at Seramount, where she works closely with CHROs to address their most pressing workforce challenges through research-driven insights and strategic content. She joined Seramount after serving as a research analyst at EAB, where she built a strong foundation in qualitative and quantitative research, data analysis, writing, and partner engagement.
Grace Licsko is a Research Analyst at Seramount, where she works closely with CHROs to address their most pressing workforce challenges through research-driven insights and strategic content. She joined Seramount after serving as a research analyst at EAB, where she built a strong foundation in qualitative and quantitative research, data analysis, writing, and partner engagement.
Grace is currently pursuing her M.S. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Baruch College. Her interests include building equitable workplace cultures and applying evidence-based practices to develop high-impact leaders. She holds a B.A. in Economics with a minor in General Business from the University of Maryland and also studied at the Danish Institute for Study Abroad (DIS) in Copenhagen.
Originally from Annapolis, Maryland, Grace now lives in New York City, where in her free time she enjoys going to live music events, practicing yoga, and spending time with friends and family.
