“At the end of the course, we left feeling grateful for the experience, inspired by one another and hopeful about the difference we could make.”
consistently find that Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training improves participants’ knowledge, attitudes and confidence to help. 5 At Zuoz, the practice conversations were where knowledge became usable. Many participants already had excellent instincts. A framework helped validate those strengths, while offering language for moments when fear can make even a caring adult hesitate. Over 14 hours, the group challenged assumptions, learned from one another and rehearsed conversations that could be lifesaving. A SWISS PROGRAMME WITH INTERNATIONAL ROOTS ensa is the Swiss version of the MHFA International programme, which originated in Australia. The Swiss foundation Pro Mente Sana holds the MHFA licence for Switzerland. With support from the Beisheim Foundation, Pro Mente Sana established ensa and continues to strengthen its reach. HealthFirst is a Pro Mente Sana partner licensed to deliver the courses in English and has trained teachers
and staff from over 15 international schools across Switzerland in the Focus Youth course. 6 The Focus Youth training at Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz was delivered with financial support from the Health Promotion Unit of the Graubünden Health Department, helping to make this practical mental health training available to members of the school community. CONFIDENCE TO BEGIN At the end of the course, we left feeling grateful for the experience, inspired by one another and hopeful about the difference we could make. I had watched a group of colleagues become more confident in asking direct, compassionate questions, and in knowing when to involve others. They had not become therapists. They had become better prepared adults in a young person’s village. Schools cannot remove every pressure a young person faces. But they can create communities in which changes are noticed, difficult feelings can be named and reaching out is met with care rather than judgement.
Sometimes the most important intervention begins with an ordinary sentence: “I’ve noticed you don’t seem yourself lately, how are things for you?” The course helps adults feel ready to ask, and ready to stay for the answer.
References 1. World Health Organization. Mental health of
adolescents (updated 1 September 2025). https://www.who. int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health 2. Peter, C., Tuch, A. & Schuler, D. (2023). Psychische Gesundheit – Erhebung Herbst 2022: Wie geht es der Bevölkerung in der Schweiz? Sucht sie sich bei psychischen Problemen Hilfe? Obsan Bericht 03/2023. Neuchâtel: Schweizerisches Gesundheitsobservatorium. Report and download page. https://www.obsan.admin.ch/de/ publikationen/2023-psychische-gesundheit-erhebung- herbst-2022 3. Solmi M et al. Age at onset of mental disorders worldwide: large-scale meta-analysis of 192 epidemiological studies. Molecular Psychiatry. 2022;27:281–295. https:// doi.org/10.1038/s41380-021-01161-7 4. ensa. Mental Health First Aid: Focus Youth—course overview. https://www.ensa.swiss/en/youth/course/ 5. Mental Health First Aid International. MHFA Program Evaluations. https://mhfainternational.org/mhfa-program- evaluations/
6. HealthFirst internal programme records, August 2026.
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