The awareness-raising activities of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) for World Mental Health Day 2026 are bringing new perspectives to the way community-based support is provided.
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World Mental Health Day 2026: MHLW Promotes ‘Mental Health Supporter’ Training and Awareness | Related Materials & Releases – tokuteikenshin-hokensidou.jp
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‘Will the user who has just been discharged from the hospital end up isolated in the community?’
‘To what extent should I inform the neighbors about the individual’s situation and ask them to keep an eye on them?’
As a community consultation support specialist, it is not uncommon to feel such hesitation in making decisions.
In our eagerness to have the entire community support the individual, we sometimes find ourselves asking residents for ‘specialized understanding of mental illness’ or ‘specific responses.’
However, expecting general residents to take on roles like those of professionals can cause them to feel burdened, which can actually lead to a distance forming between them and the individual.
The ‘Mental Health Supporter’ training program promoted by the MHLW serves as an important indicator for clarifying the boundaries between the roles of professionals and local residents.
In the ‘Report of the Study Group on the Future of Mental Health and Welfare’ published by the MHLW in 2022, a goal was set to train 1 million ‘Mental Health Supporters’ by the end of fiscal year 2033.
These supporters are not there to provide specialized treatment or care.
They are considered to be like gatekeepers who possess accurate knowledge about mental health, notice changes in those around them, listen to them, and connect them to necessary support.
Mental Health Supporter Qualification: Difficulty Level and the Role of Professionals
Some may wonder if there is a difficult national-level exam for becoming a ‘Mental Health Supporter.’
However, the difficulty level of the Mental Health Supporter qualification is by no means high, and it is not a qualification that involves a specialized examination.
By attending training sessions hosted by prefectures or municipalities, which mainly consist of a few hours of lectures and group work, anyone can begin activities as a supporter.
In other words, what is required of them is to ‘listen to those around them without prejudice, based on correct knowledge,’ rather than making specialized judgments or interventions.
Professionals such as consultation support specialists and visiting nurses need to have a correct understanding of this supporter role.
It is important not to delegate care to residents, but rather to create a system where professionals can reliably catch the ‘small changes’ that residents notice.
Purpose of the MHLW Mental Health Supporter Training Program
The fundamental purpose of the MHLW Mental Health Supporter Training Program underlying this initiative is to increase the number of “first responders” for mental health in local communities.
The training covers basic knowledge of disorders such as depression and schizophrenia, as well as the fundamentals of how to interact with those affected.
This is expected to have the effect of alleviating the unfounded anxiety and prejudice that local residents often harbor toward people with mental disabilities.
For professionals, an increase in “allies who will listen” within the community means that a safety net to prevent isolation will be expanded through multiple layers.
Learning from Collaboration: Mental Health Supporter Local Government Implementation Cases
How is this mechanism being utilized in actual communities?
As a case study of Mental Health Supporter local government implementation, there is the “FY2021 Mie Prefecture Mental Health Supporter Training Project Implementation Report” published by Mie Prefecture in 2022.
According to this report, the majority of respondents to a survey of participating residents answered that “my understanding of mental illness has deepened, and my resistance to reaching out to people close to me has decreased.”
As in this case, the presence of professionals who can be consulted when local residents feel that “something is different than usual” is essential.
For example, when a local consultation support specialist collaborates with a welfare commissioner or a participant of the supporter training, the following dialogue emerges.
Welfare Commissioner: “Recently, I’ve been a bit concerned about Mr./Ms. XX in the apartment; I haven’t seen them on trash collection days, and it feels like the lights in their room have been off for a long time…”
Consultation Support Specialist: “Thank you so much for letting me know. I will share this information with the nurses at the visiting nursing station we are involved with, and we will be sure to check on them during our visit this week.”
A system where professionals receive small observations from residents and connect them to concrete actions is directly linked to maintaining community life.
As an action you can use in your practice starting tomorrow, please try the following steps first.
・Check with your local public health center or municipal disability welfare division regarding the implementation schedule of “Mental Health Supporter Training” in your jurisdiction and the registration status of supporters. ・At meetings where local welfare commissioners and volunteers gather, convey your role as a professional point of contact by saying, “If you notice any concerning changes, please feel free to consult with me at any time.” ・Decide in advance on communication procedures for sharing information from residents with multi-disciplinary teams such as visiting nursing stations.
By combining the residents’ “power to notice” with the professionals’ “power to connect and support,” the transition to community life becomes more certain.
💭 Have you ever received a report from local residents or welfare commissioners about a “small change” in a user? Please tell us what kind of collaboration you were able to achieve at that time.
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