This course will be delivered entirely online in two components:

• eLearning – this is self-paced and will take approximately 5 -7 hours to complete. We recommend that you allow sufficient time to complete the eLearning. Please note, the eLearning must be completed in full prior to attending the instructor-led sessions.
• Instructor-led session – this consists of two 3-hour (including breaks) instructor-led sessions delivered live online on the dates above.

Based on the concept of physical first aid, mental health first aid refers to the support provided before professional help is received. This may be when a person is first developing a mental health problem, when the person is experiencing a worsening of an existing mental health problem, or when a person is in a crisis situation.

In this informative and practical course designed for the Australian legal workplace context, participants will learn:

• About the signs and symptoms of common and disabling mental health problems in the legal profession.
• How to provide initial help and have supportive conversations.
• Where and how to get professional help.
• What sort of help has been shown by research to be effective.
• How to provide mental health first aid in a crisis situation using a practical, evidenced-based action plan.

This evidence-based award-winning course is based on guidelines developed through the expert consensus of people with lived experience of mental health problems and professionals. Mental Health First Aid is an award-winning program and is included in SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidenced-Based Programs and Practices.

Participants who complete this training are eligible to complete an online Accreditation Assessment in order to receive a Mental Health First Aider Certificate of Accreditation valid for 3 years.

Please note that participant numbers for this course are limited, due to the nature of the content covered and the interactive format of the workshops. We will be announcing new course dates soon.

Anna Fischer, Wellbeing Manager, The Law Society of New South Wales