The MindRight Insitute provides both Youth & Adult Mental Health First Aid Training Programs
While people often know a lot about common physical health problems, there is widespread ignorance of mental health problems. This ignorance adds to stigmatising attitudes and prevents people from seeking help early and seeking the best sort of help. It also prevents people providing appropriate support to colleagues and family members, simply because they do not know how.
In order to help people provide initial support for someone with a mental health problem, a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training course has been developed.
This course is a 12-hour course developed in 2000 by Betty Kitchener and Professor Tony Jorm with the aim to improve the mental health literacy of members of the Australian community. It is now auspiced by Orygen Youth Health Research Centre at the University of Melbourne.
There is also a 14 hour Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) course available for those who are either working or living with youth.
Participants receive a course manual and also a certificate at the completion of the course. Those who have completed the course have been very positive about the knowledge and skills they have acquired.
Mental Health First Aid courses are conducted in every state and territory of Australia. The participants have been very varied, including teachers, nurses, case managers, support workers, social welfare staff, employment agencies staff, personnel staff, members of the general public, and staff of many Commonwealth State and Local Government Departments.