Mental Health First Aid (Youth)

This Nationally recognized 2 day course teaches participants how to recognize the early warning signs of a developing mental health issue with a particular focus on caregivers of young people or adolescents whether that's Teachers, Youth Workers, Sports Coaches, other school staff such as EA's or parents, family members. It also teaches how to approach a conversation around mental illness and how to refer them on to relevant support services. The course is delivered similarly to a standard First Aid course, teaching participants what to look out for to avert a crisis and how to respond when someone is in crisis. The course isn't teaching how to diagnose someone nor basic counselling skills, rather how to recognize something is wrong and how to connect them to a professional.

The course is relevant for anyone who works in the Community or Education sectors, Retail, Hospitality or Mining or any role either personal or professional where people are in public facing roles. The course also includes the following

• How to recognize common mental health issues
• More in depth look at Depression, Anxiety, Psychosis, Eating Disorders, PTSD and Substance Use Disorder
• How to approach and communicate with someone experiencing a mental health problem.
• How to support someone experiencing a range of mental health issues
• Where mental health issues develop from
• Basic De-escalation techniques
• Top self care strategies that can reduce the risk of burn out / compassion fatigue
• How to talk to someone who may be expressing suicidal thoughts.
• How to talk to someone who is at risk of self injury
• How to approach someone experiencing a crisis or traumatic event.
• How to approach the conversation about a drug or alcohol problem
• How to encourage someone to get professional help

Each participant will get further information on additional resources and the MHFA Manual which includes further reading.