Become a Mental Health First Aider, with the Arts Wellbeing Collective!
Every year, 1 in 5 Australians will experience a mental illness or state of distress, with even higher rates for those working in the performing arts. Mental Health First Aid is the initial help provided to a person who may be developing or experiencing a mental health crisis, until the person receives professional help or the situation resolves. This nationally accredited two-day course teaches you practical techniques for identifying, approaching and supporting people struggling with their mental health. Similar to physical first aid courses, these skills are useful to first responders in everyday incidents and crisis situations.
Participants who successfully complete the course will gain 3 years accreditation. Each participant will also be able to take home their learning manual at the end of each course.
Learning outcomes
- Signs and symptoms of common mental health problems
- Prevalence in society
- Where and how to get help with developing mental health problems
- How to speak openly and accurately about mental health
- What sort of help research has shown to be effective
- How to provide first aid in a crisis
Developing problems
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Psychosis
- Substance abuse problems
Crisis situations
- Suicidal thoughts and behaviours
- Non-suicidal self-injury
- Panic attacks
- Traumatic events
- Severe effects of drug or alcohol use
- Severe psychotic states
- Aggressive behaviours
Meet your facilitator – Nicole Jordan
Before focusing on mental health, Nicole studied the physical body during her Bachelor of Applied Science but is now thrilled to be able to teach about both, since the two are “inextricably intertwined”. Nicole is also a mother to four kids (including a set of twins, or a 2-for-1 surprise, as she calls it), and knows all about the pressure of maintaining a work/life balance. Included in her family is her Groodle, who, despite not looking like her, “definitely loves people, so we have that in common”.
Nicole loves that her job allows her to connect with and empower a diverse range of people, who never fail to teach her something themselves.
