At Opening Minds, our approach to mental health training starts with listening. That has meant learning from Canadian workplaces, communities, and individuals about what meaningful support looks like in real life.
Over time, this has shaped training that reflects how people actually experience mental health. As Canada’s only licensed provider of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), Opening Minds brings a nationally recognized, evidence-based foundation to everything we do.
At the same time, mental health doesn’t stop at national borders.
While every country has its own context, many challenges, such as change, uncertainty, and the need for supportive workplaces, are shared. Expanding our work internationally allows us to share what we’ve learned while continuing to learn alongside others.
The Working Mind Goes International
The Working Mind is now available across Australia through a new partnership with Mental Health First Aid International (MHFAI).
As the only licensed provider of MHFA in Canada, Opening Minds brings nationally recognized expertise into this global partnership.
Mental Health First Aid was first developed in Australia in 2001 and is now delivered in more than 50 countries. This partnership reflects a shared commitment to high-quality, evidence-based training, grounded in our role delivering MHFA in Canada.
Together, the shared goal is to:
- Reduce stigma around mental health
- Build practical understanding
- Support meaningful, day-to-day action
This work helps ensure that more people feel equipped to notice, talk about, and respond to mental health challenges in the workplace.
Expanding Mental Health Training in Ireland
Alongside this work in Australia, Opening Minds is also supporting Mental Health First Aid partners in Ireland as they expand their mental health training offerings.
MHFA Ireland has adopted The Working Mind into its program portfolio, further strengthening its approach to workplace mental health.
To ensure relevance and impact:
- Facilitators in Ireland are trained locally
- Delivery reflects Ireland’s workplace culture
- Content aligns with the country’s mental health landscape
This approach ensures the program remains practical, relatable, and grounded in real experiences, while maintaining its evidence-based foundation.
Why Global Partnerships Matter for Workplace Mental Health
These partnerships reflect a growing global shift. Grounded in our role as Canada’s MHFA provider, this work allows us to bring both national expertise and global perspective.
Organizations around the world are increasingly looking for mental health training that is practical, credible, and adaptable to their specific environments.
For Opening Minds, international expansion is not about scaling a single solution. It’s about:
- Collaboration and shared learning
- Bringing in diverse perspectives and lived experience
- Strengthening programs through global insight
Each partnership helps evolve the work, making it stronger, more relevant, and more responsive to real-world needs.
Building Mental Health Training That Works Across Contexts
Expanding into new countries isn’t about offering the same approach everywhere.
It’s about:
- Building trust with local partners
- Shaping training to reflect local realities
- Supporting mental health in ways that resonate with the people receiving it
This balance, between consistency and adaptability, is what allows programs like The Working Mind to succeed across different regions and cultures.
Looking Ahead: A Shared Commitment
We’re grateful to our partners in Australia and Ireland for their collaboration and leadership in advancing workplace mental health. As part of the global MHFA community, we’re proud to contribute Canadian insight to a shared effort to strengthen mental health worldwide.
Together, we’re contributing to a broader movement, one where mental health training is not only accessible, but practical, relevant, and embedded in everyday work.
And this is just the beginning.