Training - Mental Health First Aid

What is Mental Health First Aid?

First Aid is the help given to an injured person before medical treatment can be obtained. Mental Health First Aid is the help given to someone developing a mental health problem or in a mental health crisis. The first aid is given until appropriate professional treatment is received or until the crisis resolves.

What does the Adult Mental Health First Aid Training Course Involve?

A 12-hour training course has been developed for members of the public and workplaces. This course covers how to give help in any of the following crisis situations:
• Person feeling suicidal
• Person having a panic attack
• Person who has recently experienced a traumatic event
• Psychotic person threatening violence
• Person who has overdosed

The course also trains the public to give help to people with mental health problems before a crisis develops. The problems covered are:
• Depression
• Anxiety disorders
• Psychosis
• Substance use disorders

What does the Mental Health First Aid for the Suicidal Person Training Course Involve?

This 4-hour course teaches how to offer mental health first aid to a person experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviours. It is a stand alone course that complements the 12-hour Standard MHFA course, Blended MHFA Courses and the 14 -hour Youth MHFA course. You can attend this training without having done the other courses.

Curriculum content is based on expert consensus guidelines developed with the Delphi method using both professional and consumer experts from English speaking developed countries. Learning outcomes of the course include:

• Understanding accurate information about suicide rates and risk factors in the Australian context.
• Reviewing the first aid guidelines of how to intervene when someone is experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviours
• Practicing these skills in a safe environment.

Please note that the MHFA for the Suicidal Person Course is not a postvention course and is not recommended for individuals recently bereaved by suicide. The MHFA for the Suicidal Person Course is not a therapy or a support group and it is important that people undertaking the course are feeling relatively robust when they undertake it. Specific postvention support services can be found at the beyondblue website.

What does the Youth Mental Health First Aid Training Course Involve?

Youth Mental Health First Aid is a 14-hour course which teaches first aid skills for mental health crisis situations and the early stages of mental health problems.

The 14-hour Youth MHFA Course - A 14-hour course has been developed for adults working or living with adolescents. This specialist course was developed in response to the following:

1. Mental illnesses frequently first arise in adolescence and young adulthood.
2. Young people have poorer knowledge about mental  illness and how to get professional help.
3. They are particularly likely to initially need support from adults to get appropriate help.

The course covers the MHFA Action Plan and the following crisis situations and mental illnesses.

Crisis situations covered are:
• Suicidal behaviours
• Self-harm
• Acute stress reaction
• Panic attacks
• Acute psychotic behaviour

Mental health problems covered are:
• Depression
• Anxiety disorders
• Psychosis
• Substance use disorders
• Eating disorders

Participants 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.

Participants receive a copy of the Youth MHFA manual to keep.

Older Person Mental Health First Aid Course for families and carers assisting people aged 65+

The aim of our Older Person MHFA Course is to train the community to respond appropriately as early as possible to older people developing mental health problems, rather than wait for a mental health crisis before taking action.

Course Content - Mental Health Problems covered are:
Depression, Anxiety Problems, Confusion and dementia

Mental health crisis situations covered are:
Suicidal thoughts and behaviours
Panic attacks
Delirium
Unsafe behaviours due to confusion - wandering
Unsafe to drive and unsafe in current place of residence
Challenging behaviours due to confusion

Who can attend the Youth Mental Health First Aid Training Course?

Any interested adult can attend. This is an education course and not a therapy program or support group.

Is Mental Health First Aid Training Effective?

Evaluations of Mental Health First Aid training show a number of benefits:
• Better recognition of mental health problems
• Beliefs about treatment become closer to those of professionals
• Reduced stigma
• Increased confidence in providing help to others
• Greater amount of help provided to others in the
6 months following the course