MHFA – Mental Health First Aid Training Course Brisbane

At AWCC, along with the support of the MHFA Australia believe that everyone should complete a mental health first aid training program simply because it reduces the stigma around mental illness. If a greater percentage our communities and workforces had the specific knowledge to be able to identify the early stages of mental illness along with the tools to help and support an individual does save lives.

Most workplaces insist on having Medical First Aid Kits and Medical First Aiders on site for Duty of Care and compliance purposes, in recent years Mental Health episodes have become more prevalent in schools and workplaces highlighting the need for Mental Health First Aid to be seen as equally important with support being made available onsite.

Statistics show that one in five (1/5) Australians will experience a mental illness in their life time and recently mental health episodes are on the rise across the community with a higher number of mental first aid interventions being recorded compared to those first aid incidents that are of a physical nature.
In addition, studies have shown that over 50% of mental illnesses is diagnosed before 14 years of age. Any person who, has, cares or works with children or teenagers should consider the value of being trained in Mental Health First Aid.

The Australia Well Control Centre in partnership with MHFA Australia deliver the Standard Mental Health First Aid program in multiple locations within the State of QLD. Our company facilitates weekly programs from our two-primary training Centres in East Brisbane and Toowoomba City. We also offer additional bespoke on-site and reginal programs to those companies or associations that request it. Many of our clients have taken advantage of our group booking discount option. To book or make an enquiry, fill out the form below or to enrol over the phone, please call our friendly team on (07) 4638 0532 or email us at admin@wellcontrolcentre.com.au today to find out more!

MHFA Australia along with highly regarded industry practitioners and experts have designed the program to be facilitated over a two day period which includes all resource materials, a comprehensive manual, workbook and wallet sized fold out card detailing the mental health first aid action plan for you to follow if and when required.

The MHFA course helps participants address the stigma regarding mental health and provides them with the tools to support individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. Statistics show that approximately (1/7) Adults at work experience mental stresses and this percentage vastly increases when applied to persons working away from home on Fly-in/ Fly-out rosters.

Chances are either you, or someone you know have experienced people close to you that have experienced problems at work that are affecting them outside of the normal. Becoming proficient in Mental Health First Aid will give you the confidence to reach out to others, support those who may be experiencing a MH crisis and empower you to apply a step by step process on how to help someone in need.

First and foremost, AWCC only utilise highly experienced in-house Facilitators that were firstly, selected by MHFA Australia and secondly, have successfully completed the Mental Health First Aid’s 5 day train the trainer program. Only Facilitators who have successfully passed this program will be endorsed to deliver the Mental Health First Aid on behalf of MHFA Australia. This is important when selecting a Facilitator and training provider.

Persons attending a MHFA program are given the knowledge and empowered with the practical skills to support someone that is struggling with their mental health or in the midst of a MH crisis. They will be taught to identify the early warning signs of a range of mental illnesses and to provide the support a person needs to get the right help. This is all achieved by utilising a clear and defined step by step process that is designed to achieve positive outcomes for the person requiring assistance.

The course is run over two (2) days being split into four manageable sections. It uses a mix of group activities, presentations and discussions to help you get to grips with some of the most common mental illnesses and how to support someone experiencing these issues. You will learn the MHFA action plan, which sets out what to do if someone is in crisis or in need of support. The course covers a variety of emotional topics including, depression, anxiety, addiction and suicide.

If you have completed an MHFA Course, you are eligible to complete an assessment, to become an Accredited MHFAider. The assessment is a short, online quiz that includes multiple choice and true/false questions.

To complete the assessment, you will need an email address and have allowed your MHFA Instructor to share your email address and your first and last name with MHFA Australia.

You will be sent a unique link a few days after the course ends. Upon clicking on the link, you will be invited to provide feedback on the MHFA course you completed and then complete the Accreditation Assessment.

Once you pass the assessment, you receive a digital Accreditation Certificate. Accreditation is valid for 3 years from the date of your MHFA course and is renewed by completing a short MHFA Refresher Course.

You can complete the accreditation up to 3 years after you complete the MHFA course.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) courses have not been mapped in Training.gov.au and course participants do not receive an accredited statement of attainment. MHFA International has an ongoing research program to develop and maintain MHFA Guidelines for Australia (and for some of the guidelines – English speaking countries). To be an ‘Accredited’ MHFAider means a MHFA course participant who passes the assessment is accredited against these guidelines. It is similar to the way National First Aid Standards (which are used to develop and update Red Cross, St John Ambulance, etc. First Aid courses) are held by the Australian Resuscitation Council.

Not all training programs belong to the Vocational Education and Training (VET) scheme and MHFA Australia has chosen not to be part it to date. The setting up of VET was to ensure that training programs reach at least an acceptable level of rigour however MHFA Australia already has a level of academic research and rigour that is greater than is required by VET. Also, to maintain this academic rigour, we believe it is important to restrict who can train MHFA Instructors, rather than allow any Registered Training Organisation (RTO) to do this.

• You can demonstrate that you have mental health first aid knowledge and skills.
• You are eligible to be appointed as a Mental Health First Aid Officer in your workplace.
• You will receive a reminder in 3 years’ time when you are due to complete an MHFA Refresher Course.

Training Centre’s with approved MHFA Facilitators will charge a per student fee and these vary from one location to the next. The average price per head for a two-day MHFA course is around the $300 AUD. Some companies offer group booking discounts. Depending on the overall participants being booked the price per head can be significantly reduced.

The Australian Well Control Centre offer great group booking discounts allowing this vital training to be widely introduced into not for profit organisations and corporate organisations alike.

There is no cost for taking the online Accreditation Assessment and becoming an Accredited MHFAider.

The Accreditation Assessment is an online 15 question quiz, with a mixture of multiple-choice questions based on specific MHFA scenarios and True or False questions, that is completed using the MHFA manual.

You must receive a score of at least 80% to pass the assessment. If you do not pass on your first attempt, you will be offered a second attempt.

All workplaces should have a mental health first aider to help those amongst us that may be experiencing poor Mental Health whilst they are at work. Companies who support their workforces in this way are not only complying with their legal obligations regarding duty of care, they are also acknowledging the difficulties some of their employees can have in the workplace from time to time. Being fit for work is an important element of productivity and studies have shown a happy workplace is more productive.

Other research shows that 12.7% of absence from work (sick days) can be attributed to poor Mental Health. Although not a guarantee, investing in a program for employees such as MHFA has the potential to reduce absences and sickness and improve employee satisfaction.

Every workplace, caring facility and educational institutions require a Mental Health first aider, and depending on the size of your organisation, multiple resources may be required. Most organisations conduct research to ascertain the best coverage for them. Its fair to say organisations with hundreds of employees would need multiple persons for the right amount of coverage. The amount of First Aiders that treat physical injuries and ailments could be used as a benchmark for coverage.

Yes, anybody can benefit from attending a mental health first aid course. We don’t just teach you about mental health, but how to support someone in crisis using a clear and defined action plan. There is something new for everyone from any work experience and background.