2020 Virtual Event: Mental Health First Aid

Event Description

The Blended Online MHFA Workplace Course has been adapted from the Standard Mental Health First Aid Course for adults.

In this informative and practical course you will learn about the signs and symptoms of common and disabling mental health problems in adults, how to provide initial help, where and how to get professional help, what sort of help has been shown by research to be effective, and how to provide mental health first aid in a crisis situation using a practical, evidence-based action plan.

This course focuses on the workplace and provides relevant information and tailored scenarios and exercises that will provide participants with the knowledge and skills to provide initial mental health first aid to assist colleagues, clients, and other workplace contacts who may be developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis, and how to connect people needing assistance to existing workplace supports and external professional help.

Developed in response to COVID-19, the new Blended Online MHFA Workplace Course includes two course components.

Course Component 1 – Self-paced interactive eLearning (5-7 hours)
The eLearning course component presents an overview of mental health problems and mental health crises.
Developing mental health problems covered include:

• Depression
• Anxiety problems
• Psychosis
• Substance use problems

Mental health crises covered:

• Suicidal thoughts and behaviours
• Non-suicidal self-injury
• Panic attacks
• Traumatic events
• Severe psychotic states
• Severe effects from alcohol or other drug use
• Aggressive behaviour

Course Component 2 – Instructor-led video conferencing (2 x 2.5 hour sessions)
Course Component 2 – Instructor-led video conferencing sessions (2 x 2.5 hours) follows completion of Course Component 1 – eLearning.

Course Component 2 provides course participants with an opportunity to revise content covered in the self-paced eLearning program and to consolidate the application of this content with the development of practical skills in a group environment online.

Course Component 2 provides participants with the opportunity to:

• Revise the eLearning content and the MHFA Action Plan
• Clarify any points of uncertainty remaining after completion of the eLearning modules
• Apply the MHFA Action Plan to relevant scenarios
• Discuss and reflect 'a where to from now' in using mental health first aid skills
• Develop a self-care plan to maintain good mental health.

Both course components of the course are to be completed within a 3-month period.

This course is based on guidelines developed through the expert consensus of people with lived experience of mental health problems and professionals.