The Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training program aims to increase people’s knowledge about mental health issues, and enables participants to develop skills to respond to mental health crisis. Our role is to organise and deliver Mental Health First Aid training programs in partnership with individuals and community organisations across metropolitan and country South Australia. The program addresses the following most common mental health issues in Australia:

• Prevalence of mental health problems
• Depression, anxiety, psychotic and substance use disorders – symptoms, causes, treatments and resources
• Crisis first aid - drug and alcohol misuse, severe psychotic states, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and aggressive behaviours, as well as suicide and panic attacks.

The program works within national and state Mental Health Policy Frameworks and encourages mental health literacy in the wider community services context, as well as the general community. The MHFA training program facilitates the learning of staff and volunteers within community services so that there is a stronger capacity for early intervention in the development of mental health disorders as well as increased knowledge to promote emotional wellbeing in the wider community.

For more information

Visit www.socialrelations.edu.au/MHFA.aspx for more information about the training. Or email your enquiries to the Coordinator Mental Health First Aid and Suicide Prevention Training Programs at Relationships Australia (SA) or call on (08) 8245 8100.