Mental Health First Aid
Mental Health First Aid training by Head Strong
Our Mental Health First Aid in the workplace course helps build mental health literacy, reduce stigma and equip your team with practical tools to support people experiencing mental ill health.
Delivered by accredited instructors with clinical experience, our training is grounded in real world expertise. We’ve supported individuals through serious mental illness, suicidal thoughts and self harm, so we bring both professional knowledge and human understanding into the room.
Participants leave with a deeper understanding of mental health and the confidence to step in and support when it counts.
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Mental Health First Aid courses for workplaces
Head Strong Workplaces offers Mental Health First Aid courses that can be delivered in house, virtually or in flexible formats depending on the course and the needs of your workplace.
The course options below are designed to support different teams, industries and workplace contexts. Some are suited to general employee groups, while others are designed for more specific environments such as aged care, legal workplaces or teams that may need suicide conversation training.
Choose the course that feels like the best fit, or get in touch and we can help you work out where to start.
Standard Mental Health First Aid
COURSE OVERVIEW
The 12 hour Standard Mental Health First Aid course teaches participants how to provide initial support to adults who are developing a mental illness or experiencing a mental health crisis.
For workplaces, this course can help employees build confidence, reduce stigma and understand how to respond when a colleague, client or team member may need support.
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.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Course participants learn about:
- The signs and symptoms of 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
- How to provide aid in a crisis situation, including supporting someone who may be at risk of suicide
DELIVERY
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
- 2 full days of training delivered on non consecutive days, for example, a week or two weeks apart
- 4 half day sessions delivered on non consecutive days, for example, one half day session a week for 4 weeks
Standard Refresher Course
COURSE OVERVIEW
The half day Standard Refresher course allows people who have previously completed a 12 hour Standard MHFA course to refresh their knowledge and skills.
For accredited MHFAiders in the workplace, the refresher course is an opportunity to extend accreditation for a further 3 years and keep their skills current.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
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
- Practise mental health first aid skills
DELIVERY
The Standard Refresher course is a half day training session delivered virtually.
Conversations About Suicide
COURSE OVERVIEW
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, including professionals and people with lived experience of suicide, about how best to assist someone who may be suicidal.
For workplaces, this course may be useful for teams that are more likely to support distressed clients, community members, colleagues or people experiencing crisis.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
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
DELIVERY
The Conversations About Suicide course is a half day training session delivered face to face in your workplace for up to 20 participants.
Older Person Mental Health First Aid
COURSE OVERVIEW
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, people caring for older people in the community and teams supporting aged care mental health.
For workplaces in aged care, health and community services, this course can help staff build confidence in recognising mental health concerns and responding appropriately.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
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
DELIVERY
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
- 2 full days of training delivered on non consecutive days, for example, a week or two weeks apart
- 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
COURSE OVERVIEW
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, completed as self paced eLearning, plus 4 hours of face to face training.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
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.
DELIVERY
Designed for legal workplaces that require increased flexibility in the delivery of training for staff members, the Blended MHFA program for the Legal Profession is a combination of an online component plus 4 hours of 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.
Mental Health First Aid in the workplace FAQs
What is Mental Health First Aid in the workplace?
Mental Health First Aid in the workplace teaches employees how to recognise signs of mental health problems, provide initial support and guide someone towards appropriate professional help. It can help build confidence, reduce stigma and support a more mentally healthy workplace culture.
What is included in a Mental Health First Aid in the workplace course?
A Mental Health First Aid in the workplace course usually covers common mental health problems, mental health crises, how to provide initial help and how to connect someone with appropriate support. Course content depends on the specific MHFA course selected.
Who should complete Mental Health First Aid training at work?
Mental Health First Aid training can be useful for employees, leaders, HR teams, WHS teams, peer supporters and people who regularly support colleagues or clients. The right participants will depend on your workplace, your goals and the type of support network you want to build.
Does Mental Health First Aid make someone a counsellor?
No. Mental Health First Aid does not make someone a counsellor or mental health professional. It gives participants practical skills to provide initial support, recognise when someone may need help and guide them towards appropriate professional support.
How many people can attend a workplace Mental Health First Aid course?
Many of the workplace Mental Health First Aid courses can be delivered for up to 20 participants per group. Delivery options vary depending on the course, format and workplace requirements.
Can Mental Health First Aid support a peer support program?
Yes. Mental Health First Aid can be a useful foundation for peer supporters, especially when it is supported by clear governance, selection processes, referral pathways and ongoing supervision. Training is important, but the structure around the role matters too.
Is workplace mental health doing your head in?
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If you need a Mental Health First Aid in the workplace course that is practical, credible and delivered by people who know the real stuff, we can help.