Mental Health First Aid

Equipping our communities to respond

This year, nine RA Tas staff members attended a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) instructor training course. The instructor training gave them the skills and qualifications to deliver Mental Health First Aid to individuals, businesses and community groups across the state.

Mental Health First Aid is a comprehensive two-day workshop designed to empower community members with the knowledge and tools needed to identify and effectively support those facing mental health challenges. Participants learn to recognise signs of mental health issues and offer appropriate assistance and referrals to support services. This training is beneficial for any adult seeking to enhance their ability to respond to the mental health needs of others within the community.

Our team has already conducted training for over 80 Tasmanians in various settings, including workplaces, community groups, and our own staff. Recognising the significance of this training, we have also extended the offer to businesses utilising our EAP service and will continue to promote it to the wider Tasmanian community.

Feedback from course attendees included:

Initially, I felt quite intimidated about taking on the Mental Health First Aid training, as I wasn’t sure about my knowledge and understanding of the subjects it would cover. However, upon successfully completing the training, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I felt confident and reassured. I realised that I didn’t need to be a counsellor to engage in safe and supportive check-in conversations with my family, friends, and colleagues about their mental health. The training equipped me with the necessary skills to provide support and communicate effectively with the people in my life that might be going through challenging times.

Loved it, literally the best training I have received in a long time.

Great delivery, taught not to overthink the delivery of MHFA. The facilitators showed some great examples for visual learning and was very interactive.

Knowledgeable delivery from the educators. We were able to ask questions and being able to participate throughout the course increased learning and knowledge of MHFA.