First Aid is the help given to an injured person before medical treatment can be obtained.  Mental Health First Aid is the help provided to a person developing a mental health problem or in a mental health crisis.  The first aid is given until appropriate professional treatment is received or until the crisis resolves.
While people often know a lot about common physical health problems, there is widespread ignorance of mental health problems.  This ignorance adds to stigmatising attitutes and prevents people from seeking help early and seeking the best sort of help.  It also prevents people providing appropriate support to colleagues and family members, simply because they do not know how.
In order to help people provide initial support for someone with a mental health problem, a Mental Health First Aid(MHFA) course has been developed.  This course is a 12 hour course developed to improve the mental health literacy of members of the Australian community.  It is now auspiced Orygen Youth Health Research Centre at the University of Melbourne.
Participants receive a course manual and also a certificate at the completeion of the course.  Those who have complted the course have been very positive about the knowledge and skills they have acquired.

Mental Health First Aid courses are conducted in every state and territory of Australia.  These participants have been very varied, including teachers, nurses, case managers, support workers, social welfare staff, employment agencies staff, personnel staff, members of the general public and staff of many Commonwealth State and Local Government Departments.

The East Gippsland Primary Health Alliance has a qualified instructor who is available to run courses in Mental Health First Aid.  For more information or to book a course please contact Kelly Day on 5153 0383 or click here to email Kelly.