Education & Training
Community Education and Training
Shoalhaven Suicide Prevention and Awareness Network (SSPAN) run professional development and community education sessions as a strategy to help prevent suicide.
Each year 1 in 5 Australians will experience a mental illness. Many people are not knowledgeable or confident to offer assistance. Physical first aid is accepted and widespread in our community, however most do not cover mental health problems. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) teaches people the skills to help someone who they’re concerned about.
SSPAN periodically offers MHFA training to the community. These include:
STANDARD
12 hour course for adults assisting other adults
CONVERSATIONS ABOUT SUICIDE
Half-day course for adults assisting someone experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviours
CONVERSATIONS ABOUT NON-SUICIDAL SELF-INJURY
Half-day course for adults assisting someone engaging in self-injury
STANDARD REFRESHER
This half-day course gives participants an opportunity to refresh the knowledge and skills learnt during the 12-hour Standard Mental Health First Aid Course
Currently we are working to be able to offer courses online and will update the website as this happens, in the meantime if you are interested in doing a course please let us know here
There are a range of suicide prevention training sessions available in the Shoalhaven. Although Shoalhaven Suicide Prevention and Awareness Network regularly run Mental Health first aid courses there other agencies that run courses and there are other trainers available all over Australia.
Mental Health First Aid Australia has a number of different courses all over Australia find out more about course near you here
Mental Health First Aid
Mental health first aid is the help provided to a person who is developing a mental health problem, or who is in a mental health crisis (e.g., the person is suicidal or has had a traumatic experience). Like physical first aid, mental health first aid is given until the person receives professional help or until the crisis resolves.
Find out more
Wesley LifeForce Suicide Prevention Training: Disability Support Worker
Wesley LifeForce has developed a quality suicide prevention training suite. These suicide prevention workshops are based on the latest research in suicide prevention and are designed to teach people how to identify the signs that someone may be at risk of suicide, how to engage and appropriate action to take.
This disability support work suicide prevention training is a 2-hour program which was created in consultation with disability support providers and lived experience.
Recognise and Respond – Suicide Prevention Training
Talking to someone about suicide may feel like one of the hardest things you’ll ever do, but it could also be one of the most important conversations you’ll ever have. Recognise and Respond is a 1-hour online course that aims to reduce and prevent suicide in Australia. It equips learners with the skills and confidence needed to have a life-saving conversation with a friend, family member or colleague who may be at risk of suicide.
As a member of the Illawarra Shoalhaven Suicide Prevention Collaborative, Shoalhaven SPAN is pleased to extend this training opportunity.
