Standard Mental Health First Aid®
Most of us understand the importance of learning physical first aid.
We learn how to recognise when someone is injured or unwell, provide initial support and know when further help is needed, not because it makes us doctors or paramedics, but because having the knowledge and confidence to respond can make an enormous difference.
Mental Health First Aid® brings that same preparedness to mental health.
We may encounter someone struggling with their mental health within our family, friendships, workplace, practice or community. Sometimes the hardest part is simply knowing what to say, what to ask and what to do next.
Mental Health First Aid gives everyday people practical, evidence-based skills to recognise when someone may be experiencing a mental health problem or crisis, offer initial support and encourage appropriate professional or other help.
Your Invitation
Standard Mental Health First Aid®
Face-to-Face Training
When: No public course dates currently scheduled
Where: Gippsland
Investment: $400 per participant
12 hours of training · Small group · Face-to-face
Classes are intentionally kept small, with a minimum of 6 and maximum of 12 participants. This allows plenty of space for discussion, questions, practical learning and meaningful participation throughout the course.
Interested in the next public course? Register your interest and I’ll let you know when new training dates are released.
Why Mental Health First Aid?
We prepare for physical emergencies. We can prepare for mental health challenges too.
Knowing physical first aid doesn't mean taking responsibility for someone's medical care. Mental Health First Aid works on a similar principle. The aim isn't to diagnose someone, provide therapy or become responsible for fixing what they're experiencing. Instead, you'll learn how to recognise when something may be wrong, approach someone you're concerned about, have a supportive conversation and provide initial assistance until appropriate professional help is received or the crisis resolves. It's about knowing how to notice, how to ask, how to respond and where your role ends.
What will I learn?
Practical skills for real conversations.
Standard Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to: · recognise signs and symptoms of common mental health problems · recognise when a mental health problem may be emerging or worsening · approach someone you are concerned about and begin a supportive conversation · use an evidence-based Mental Health First Aid action plan · understand barriers that can prevent people from seeking help · provide initial support during a range of mental health crisis situations · encourage appropriate professional and other supports · understand common treatments and supports available · consider your own self-care when supporting others.
Become an Accredited Mental Health First Aider
Take your learning beyond the classroom.
Following completion of the Standard Mental Health First Aid course, you'll have the opportunity to complete a short assessment to become an: Accredited Mental Health First Aider MHFAider® Your accreditation is valid for three years. Accredited MHFAiders take their knowledge and skills back into everyday life - into families, friendships, workplaces, practices and communities, with greater confidence to provide mental health information and initial support when it matters.
Understanding mental health.
Building confidence to respond
Depression · Anxiety · Psychosis · Substance Use Problems
Suicidal Thoughts & Behaviours · Panic Attacks · Non-Suicidal Self-Injury · Traumatic Events
Recognise the signs. Know how to approach. Respond with confidence. Connect with appropriate support.
Evidence-based. Skills-based. Internationally recognised.
Standard Mental Health First Aid is developed by Mental Health First Aid International and delivered by trained and Licensed MHFA Instructors. The program is informed by people with lived experience, caregivers and mental health professionals, and evaluations have found MHFA training improves participants' knowledge of mental illnesses and their treatments and their confidence in providing mental health first aid. Mental Health First Aid International also received formal accreditation in 2026 under the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care's National Safety and Quality Digital Mental Health Standards, recognising its structured, safe and evidence-informed training. The Standard MHFA course is recognised by Suicide Prevention Australia as a safe, high-quality and effective suicide-prevention program.
Who is this for?
You don't need to work in mental health to make a difference.
This training is for adults who would like to feel more confident recognising and responding when someone around them may be experiencing a mental health problem or crisis. You may use these skills as a: parent · friend · colleague · practitioner · educator · community member · leader · employer Or simply as someone who wants to feel better prepared for a conversation that could matter. No previous mental health or suicide-prevention training is required.
Your Instructor | Sylvia
Licensed Mental Health First Aid® Instructor · Trainer & Assessor · Integrative Clinical Supervisor · Kinesiologist
My professional background spans frontline mental health and community services, suicide prevention and postvention, psychosocial recovery, mental health leadership, clinical supervision and practitioner education.
My approach to training is grounded, practical and human.
I want people to leave Mental Health First Aid feeling more capable of responding, not more responsible for fixing others.
