Mental Health First Aid training for workplaces
Mental Health First Aid training

Mental Health First Aid

“This course is something that everyone should do so we can all understand each other a bit more
and also have the confidence and skills to initiate the conversation/recognise when someone may be struggling.”

Standard Mental Health First Aid training participant.

About Mental Health First Aid

Mental health at work and mental illness continue to be important topic in the workplace. Whether it’s helping your staff to maintain good mental health at work, supporting a worker who may be struggling with mental health problems or interacting with clients or customers who may be upset or agitated, our Mental Health First Aid  training can increase mental health literacy, reduce stigma, and provide your workplace with practical strategies for supporting people experiencing mental ill-health.

All of our Mental Health First Aid training is delivered by accredited instructors with years of clinical experience. That means we have seen people struggling with mental ill-health and serious mental illness. We have supported people to find the interventions that work for them. And we have helped people to stay safe when they have experienced thoughts of suicide and self-harm. This knowledge and experience ensures that participants leave our training with a greater understanding of mental ill health, and increased confidence about supporting someone who may be struggling.

And keep in mind that Mental Health First Aid Australia’s Skilled Workplace Program recognises workplaces that demonstrate a commitment to MHFA training. 

We can also help your workplace to implement a peer support program to create a culture where your employees proactively take care of each other and support mental health and wellbeing at work. Check out our Workplace Peer Support Program page or click on the button below to start a conversation about peer support options.

Scroll down to find out more about our MHFA training options, or get in touch to have a chat about how we can help in your workplace.

Standard Mental Health First Aid

Standard Mental Health First Aid training

The 12-hour Standard MHFA course teaches participants how to provide initial support to adults who are developing a mental illness or experiencing a mental health crisis. Participants also have an opportunity to become an accredited ‘MHFAider’ on completion of the course. The Standard MHFA course consists of four 3-hour modules that can be delivered over a flexible timeframe to suit your workplace.

Course participants learn about:
+ The signs and symptoms of the common mental health problems, including depression, anxiety and substance abuse;
+ How to provide initial help;
+ The type of help that research has shown to be effective; and
+ How to provide aid in a crisis situation, including supporting someone who may be at risk of suicide.

The Standard Mental Health First Aid course is 12 hours delivered face-to-face in your workplace for up to 20 participants per group. The options for delivery include:
+ 2 full days of training delivered on consecutive days OR
+ 2 full days of training delivered on non-consecutive days (for example, a week or two weeks apart) OR
+ 4 half-day sessions delivered on non-consecutive days (for example, one half-day session a week for 4 weeks)

Standard Refresher Course

Standard Mental Health First Aid training

The half-day (4-hour) Standard Refresher course allows people who have previously completed a 12-hour Standard MHFA course to refresh their knowledge and skills. For people who are Accredited MHFAiders, the refresher course is an opportunity to extend the accreditation for a further 3 years.

The Standard MHFA Refresher course gives participants an opportunity to refresh the knowledge and skills learnt during the 12-hour Standard Mental Health First Aid Course. Participants will:
+ Gain an understanding of the latest research in the mental health field
+ Learn the 3 key actions for helping someone feeling suicidal
+ Work through complex mental health first aid interactions
+ Practice mental health first aid skills.

The Conversations About Suicide course is a half-day training session (4 hours) delivered face-to-face in your workplace for up to 20 participants.

Conversations About Suicide

Conversations About Suicide training

The four-hour Mental Health First Aid for the Suicidal Person course provides guidance on this complex and difficult topic.  The course is based on Mental Health First Aid Australia’s Guidelines for Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviours. The content has been developed using the opinions of experts in the field of suicide intervention (both professionals and consumers with lived experience of suicide) about how best to assist someone who may be suicidal.

During the four-hour workshop, participants will learn:
+ Accurate information about suicide rates and risk factors in the Australian context
+ The warning signs of suicidal behaviour
+ How to ask about thoughts of suicide
+ What you can do to help keep the person safe.
+ How to assist the person to access professional help.

The Conversations About Suicide course is a half-day training session (4 hours) delivered face-to-face in your workplace for up to 20 participants.

“I really enjoyed this course, I’ve never come across anything like it before and the content really catered towards our line of work, it makes me feel confident knowing when I come across people having any issues with their mental wellbeing I have a type of protocol to follow.”

Older Person Mental Health First Aid participant.

Older Person Mental Health First Aid

Older Person Mental Health First Aid training

Mental health problems are frequently under-diagnosed and under-treated in older people, often misattributed to ageing or poor physical health.  The 12-hour Older Person MHFA course is based on Mental Health First Aid Australia’s Guidelines for Assisting the Confused Older Person and is highly beneficial for home care support workers, anybody caring for an older person in the community or anybody supporting aged care mental health.

During the Older Person MHFA course, participants will learn:
+ The signs and symptoms of common mental health problems in older people
+ How to offer help
+ Where to get professional help
+ What sort of help has been shown by research to be effective.
+ How to assist the older person in a crisis situation.

The Older Person Mental Health First Aid course is 12 hours delivered face-to-face in your workplace for up to 20 participants per group. The options for delivery include:
+ 2 full days of training delivered on consecutive days OR
+ 2 full days of training delivered on non-consecutive days (for example, a week or two weeks apart) OR
+ 4 half-day sessions delivered on non-consecutive days (for example, one half-day session a week for 4 weeks)

Blended Mental Health First Aid for the Legal Profession

Blended Mental Health First Aid for the Legal Profession

In recent years, there has been increased awareness of how the unique challenges of the legal industry can impact the mental health and wellbeing of legal professionals. The Blended MHFA for the Legal Profession course provides information on how to assist a co-worker in the legal profession who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. The course content is tailored to the workplace setting using case-studies, videos and resources. The course is a combination of an online component (self-paced eLearning) plus 4 hours of face-to-face training.

During the Blended MHFA for the Legal Profession course, participants will learn:
+ How to recognise the signs and symptoms of mental health problems and crises in people working in the legal profession
+ The risk factors and appropriate evidence-based treatments and supports
+ How to respond and offer appropriate support using the MHFA Action Plan

In the 4-hour face-to-face component, the focus is on revision and application of knowledge and skills learnt in the eLearning component.

Designed for legal workplaces that require increased flexibility in the delivery of training for their staff members, the Blended MHFA program for the Legal Profession is a combination of an online component (self-paced eLearning) plus 4 hours face-to-face training. The online component must be completed before participants are able to do the face-to-face training. The eLearning component is managed by MHFA Australia. Contact us to discuss delivery of the face-to-face component in-house in your workplace.

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