Become a Mental Health First Aider

Learn vital skills and information to better support others

Mental Health First Aid is a nationally accredited course by Mental Health First Aid Australia, presented by the Arts Wellbeing Collective.

Every year 1 in 5 Australians will experience a mental illness. Many people may not feel knowledgeable or confident enough to offer assistance. Physical first aid is accepted and widespread in our community, however most courses available do not cover mental health problems – this is where Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) comes in. MHFA teaches people the foundational skills they need to help someone who they’re concerned about.

The Arts Wellbeing Collective recognises the value of this evidence-based course and makes MHFA sessions available to performing arts workers across each calendar year. AWC’s instructors work in the performing arts and incorporate industry-specific examples and information into the training.

Benefits of Mental Health First Aid training:

Learn how to address common misunderstandings and mythology around mental health problems in the industry and wider community
Learn how to recognise the signs and symptoms of common mental health problems and get to know possible causes and risk factors
Gain greater understanding of common mental health problems prevalent in the arts industry (including depressive disorders, anxiety, suicide ideation and substance use)
Gain greater awareness of a range of evidenced-based medical, psychological and alternative treatments
Gain skills and confidence in giving appropriate initial help and supporting someone experiencing a mental health problem
Gain skills in how to take appropriate action if a crisis situation arises involving suicidal behaviour, panic attack, stress reaction to trauma, overdose or threatening psychotic behaviour

Please note, the course content and course commitment requires emotional and mental energy, concentration and focus. Please consider your own mental health and self-care strategies before completing an Expression of Interest.

Submitting an Expression of Interest is not a guarantee of a place in any course.

Mental Health First Aid feedback

This session was so, so valuable. I’m grateful to have received this overview, particularly as it relates to my own industry. Some misinformation that I feel is ingrained in society was challenged, which give me the confidence to correct it in other people. I feel much better equipped to handle situations in which I believe people I encounter may be exhibiting signs of mental health struggles. I particularly liked the point that we’re not here to diagnose, but to obverse and discover symptoms and direct people towards getting help.

This was such a worthwhile course to do, as over the years I have experienced a number of times where people do need assistance for mental health situations and having tools to assess the situation and offer support and help is very useful.

Certainly a valuable course. I'm very glad I have done it as in my line of work I’m constantly supporting people through mental challenges and I feel far better equipped to handle it now.

Our facilitator understood both the arts industry and the content of the material, so was great at answering questions and ensuring all the information was relevant and could be related back to real-world situations. The written booklet is an excellent takeaway resource to refer to and show others who may be interested in the course.

The material and presentation style was engaging, and I appreciated that the material was delivered in a variety of ways - quizzes, activities, presentation, written, visual. I would highly recommend this course to everyone, especially managers. These are really important life skills.

I enjoyed being in a room with like minds and sharing similar experiences in the places we choose to work. We all felt safe to talk about mental health experiences we may see in the course of our work in a conversational and enquiring learning environment. I valued the demystification of mental health issues, and learning about active direction and useful techniques into identifying mental health in our workplace and surrounding community.

The team is RAVING about the metal health first aid training. They said the content was spot on and it’s really made them think about life not only in our organisation but the greater industry - as well as in themselves. I think this is a wonderful take away because really, how can we help others if we can’t help ourselves'

It is such an interesting program. I feel lucky to have been given the opportunity to attend and learnt a lot of valuable information and feel equipped to offer assistance if required. I appreciate all the manuals and additional information that was provided throughout the course and offer thanks to all at Arts Centre Melbourne for making this program available to the arts community.

It was excellent having a facilitator with knowledge of the industry who could tailor the information and make it relevant. Fantastic insight in to an area I didn’t know much about, and really valuable information.”

Mental Health First Aid: Expression of Interest

The Arts Wellbeing Collective is committed to ensuring that our accredited Mental Health First Aiders represent the diversity of the performing arts industry. We strongly encourage expressions of interest from applicants with a variety of experiences, knowledge and perspectives, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, culturally and linguistically diverse people, and gender diverse and LGBTIQ people.

Please note – if you are predominantly assisting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults who are experiencing mental health problems, you may wish to attend the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health First Aid course.

Please note: submitting an expression of interest is not a guarantee of a place in any course.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Mental Health First Aid?

Mental Health First Aid is the initial help provided to a person who is developing a mental health problem, or who is in a mental health crisis (for example, the person is suicidal or has had a traumatic experience). Mental health first aiders are usually members of the general community and do not diagnose or treat mental health problems. Like physical first aid, MHFA is the help and support given until the person receives professional help or until the crisis resolves.

Who is this training for?

Mental Health First Aid presented by the Arts Wellbeing Collective is exclusively available to members of the Collective and/or people who work in the performing arts industry in Victoria, Australia.

Mental Health First Aid Australia offers publicly available courses, find upcoming sessions in your state or territory here.

Which MHFA courses does AWC present? And how much time does it take to complete them?

At different times, AWC offers the following face-to-face or blended online courses:

Face-to-face training takes place over 12-14 hours across 2 days.

Blended online training involves 6-8 hours of participant pre-learning followed by 4 hours of instructor-led video conferencing over 2 days.

What is the cost of attending the course?

There is no fee to attend the course. The cost of the course and all materials is covered by WorkSafe Victoria through the Mental Health Improvement Fund, and online courses have been made possible through the Arts Centre Melbourne COVID-19 emergency appeal. It is highly unusual for this accredited course to be offered without cost to the attendee. We ask that you only submit an Expression of Interest if you are confident you will be able to attend and actively participate in the course.

What mental health problems are discussed?

Developing mental health problems covered include: depression, anxiety problems, psychosis and substance use problems.

Mental health crisis situations covered include: suicidal thoughts and behaviours, panic attacks, traumatic events, severe effects of drug or alcohol use, severe psychotic states, and aggressive behaviours.

I am personally experiencing mental health problems, or have recently been supporting someone experiencing mental health problems, can I still apply?

Yes, of course, but we recommend exercising informed consent prior to applying. This means learning about the course and deciding if it’s the right time to do it for you.

While lived experience with mental health problems can give you a valuable perspective as a Mental Health First Aider, it is preferable that you have experienced good mental health for the 12 months prior to submitting an Expression of Interest to attend the training.

The course can be intense and exhausting for participants. You and your mental health professional are the experts on your personal mental health, so we encourage you to carefully consider whether or not this is the right time for you to apply. You can always do the training down the track if it’s not a good time right now.

Important note: Mental Health First Aid is not a therapy or support group or a post-vention course, rather it is an education course to learn how to give first aid to others. For more information, visit mhfa.com.au. If you need help now, please click here.

I want to train my entire team or a large group of employees, can I book out whole sessions?

Yes, but if you are looking to train a large group of people in Mental Health First Aid, we encourage you to first seek to more deeply understand what benefit or change you hope to see in your workplace from this training.

While MHFA offers a range of benefits for both individuals and organisations, it will not create a mentally healthy workplace. No stand-alone training can achieve this, though training of various kinds may form a useful part of a broader program of work and cultural change.

If you are seeking to shift the culture around mental health and wellbeing in your organisation, the Arts Wellbeing Collective can tailor support, workshops and information to help you develop a vision, strategic approach, and action plan for mental health and wellbeing in your workplace, entirely opt-in and free of charge. Please get in touch to learn more.

If Mental Health First Aid for a large group of employees is identified as a meaningful action as part of a broader strategy, AWC does occasionally hold sessions for specific organisations or groups of people in related roles. If this is applies to your organisation, please submit an enquiry to ask about upcoming availability of our trainers.

Become a Mental Health First Aider

Name

Role

Organisation

Your Email

Phone

Are you or your organisation a member of the Arts Wellbeing Collective?

Do you have the support of your organisation to attend Mental Health First Aid training?

Do you have any access requirements'

Please give a brief summary of why you are interested in undertaking Mental Health First Aid, and let us know of any access or special requirements you may have (max. 100 words)

What do you hope to get out of doing Mental Health First Aid? (max. 100 words)

What skills and/or experiences do you have that would contribute to your effectiveness as a Mental Health First Aider and ambassador for positive mental health? (max. 100 words)

If selecting Blended Online Training - I confirm that I am able and willing to undertake eLearning and participate in two video conferencing sessions in a small group setting of approximately 12 people from various arts organisations

I understand that Mental Health First Aid is not a therapy or support group or a post-vention course, rather it is an education course to learn how to give first aid to others