Mental health first aid

Course description

One in five Australian adults will suffer from some form of common mental disorder in any year. The 12-hour Mental Health First Aid course teaches you how to provide initial support to a person experiencing a mental health crisis or in the early stages of developing a mental health problem. The course is nationally renowned and awarded, and has been found effective in improving mental health literacy, reducing stigma and increasing helping behaviours.

Learn more about Mental Health First Aid by watching this 3 minute video and work out whether the course is right for you.

Please note - the workshop does not teach you to be a counsellor or therapist, or to diagnose mental illness - it is a first aid response framework to support community members who are experiencing mental health problems.

When you attend a Mental Health First Aid workshop, you now have the option of becoming an Accredited Mental health First Aider.  The process involves completing an online knowledge test and feedback form, and requires your permission for your contact details to be passed onto Mental Health First Aid Australia.

Type of course

Workshop

Presenters

Who should attend

All continuing and fixed term professional and academic staff are welcome to attend. However, this course is designed for members of the general public who do not have formal training, education or qualifications in mental health related fields and is pitched at an introductory level.

NOTE: 
This course is for staff only.  Students are not able to attend and will be unenrolled. 
Please contact Health, Counselling and Disability Services to find out what training is available for students.

It is recommended that you speak with your manager prior to enrolling in this workshop as there are late cancellation fees.

For more information about this course, please contact professional.development@flinders.edu.au

What you will learn

The course covers helping adults in mental health crisis situations and/or in the early stages of mental health problems.

Crisis situations covered are:
- Suicidal behaviours
- Acute stress reaction
- Panic attacks
- Acute psychotic behaviour
- Aggressive behaviour
- Acute effects of substances

Mental health problems covered are:
- Depression
- Anxiety disorders
- Psychotic disorders
- Substance use disorder

Participants will learn the signs and symptoms of these mental health problems, where and how to get help, and what sort of help has been shown by research to be effective.

For more information about the course content, please visit the Mental Health First Aid website (external) at

www.mhfa.com.au/

For more information about this course, please contact Professional Development on professional.development@flinders.edu.au

Prerequisites / assumed knowledge

None - participants are asked to ensure they can attend all sessions.