Mental Health First Aid Sessions- September & October
Rotary Prahran has previously identified mental health as an issue in the local area, particularly with relation to homelessness. After running Mental Health First Aid sessions for residents and people working in this field, we realised that, much like regular First Aid, Mental Health First Aid is something useful to everyone in society. We particularly saw its relevance for businesses, people managers, and also people who face the public.
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) courses teach people simple, practical first aid skills for helping a family member, friend, co-worker or other person who is experiencing mental health problems.
With the pandemic, the issues covered in the course - from depression and anxiety through to drugs and suicide - are all the more prevalent, which is why we wanted to run the course again and invite local businesses to participate at a subsidised cost. While it’s great for all staff, we think the course would be particularly useful for supervisors and managers as it addresses how to identify when people are suffering with mental health issues. The course provides the understanding and tools to be able to have the right conversations and know what to do if a situation arises, whether it be with other staff or customers.
Here’s a link to the research about the Mental Health First Aid course that was developed in Australia and has been internationally acclaimed: https://mhfa.com.au/why-mhfa
Thanks to fundraising and community grants, we are able to subsidise the normal price of the course ($250) and offer it to community workers. We have a maximum of 12 people per course and participants will receive a certificate after completion of a final online component. The cost is $100 for large corporates, $50 for small businesses (eg local retailers) and schools, and $25 for NFP and volunteer organisations.
The course will be delivered online and dates of the course are:
Course 1: Over two Saturdays- September 12 & 19
9:30am - 12 midday
Course 2: Over two Thursdays- October 8 & 15
9:30am - 12 midday
In addition, participants will be required to complete a pre-course online component in their own time which takes around 5-7 hours.
This is the Application Form for the course which you can fill out and return to pia.demsky@rotaryprahran.org.au . We can also send an invoice if required. (Please note each course is subject to minimum numbers.)
Should you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to email or contact Pia on 0409 441 041.