Course Description

Welcome to the Nationally Recognised Course in Mental Health Support for First Responders. This course is uniquely tailored to provide comprehensive education on mental health, fostering resilience and offering practical strategies for managing the mental health impacts of crisis response.

This course has a ‘first responder’ focus but is suitable for any individual who wants to understand mental health challenges and learn how to offer support. What does it mean to be a first responder?… in reality, every individual has the potential to be a first responder. Most often this description is associated with professional individuals who have received specialised training in dealing with emergencies. The reality is that the first responder is often a bystander (someone like you and me), on an emergency scene, providing the very first few minutes of support.

Not only is this course nationally recognised, but it is also a concise and efficient short course that offers a practical solution for individuals seeking to understand the basics of or enhance their mental health support skills. Its streamlined format saves valuable time, allowing you to gain essential knowledge and skills without a significant time commitment.

You will learn to recognise signs and symptoms of mental health concerns and respond effectively, providing crucial support until professional help is available.

What you can expect to learn from this course

Understand basic mental health concepts and relevant terms
Identify signs that someone may be struggling with their mental health
Recognise what may trigger mental health issues and immediate threats
Create clear professional boundaries
Use a range of techniques to calm down tense situations
Know where to find help and refer people to the right professionals
Report incidents while keeping information private and confidential
Participate in post incident debrief

Who is this course designed for?

While this course is suitable for anyone seeking to understand mental health challenges and provide support, it is particularly beneficial for individuals in the following roles:

Anyone who has, or is considering undertaking a CPR or first aid course
Individuals doing any form of community support (paid or volunteer)
Workplace first aiders
Individuals who are working as first responders in a professional, or volunteer role
Teachers and educators

Provider of Training And Assessment

This course is delivered and assessed on behalf of Allens Training Pty Ltd RTO 90909 by Australian Pacific Training Solutions.

Important Information Prior to Enrolment

Units Being Delivered

The following units will be included in your certificate:

11244NAT - Course in Mental Health Support for First Responders
NAT11244001 - Develop knowledge of mental health support for first responders
NAT11244002 - Provide mental health support for first responders

Course delivery

This course will be delivered in the workplace or at Australian Pacific Training Solutions facility.

Course Duration (face to face)

Course durations can vary for multiple reasons, so the durations below are the minimum possible amount.

Face-to-Face: Face to Face contact time of at least 6 Hours
Online with face-to-face assessment: Face to Face contact time of at least 2 hours

Work Placement Arrangements

No work placement will be required as part of this course.

Learners Rights, Responsibilities and Support, including Complaints

Please note that enrolment to this course is made with Allens Training Pty Ltd RTO 90909. Please refer to the student handbook located on the RTO website https://apts.trainingdesk.com.au/public_documents/student_documents/student_handbook 1 for all details relating to rights and responsibilities including complaints and appeals.

Course Fees and Payments

Cost: $175 per person

Refund and fee protection policy – Please refer to the student handbook.
Payment Terms – Payment for individual participants is upfront, group booking payment terms are based on agreement between the client and service provider.

Assessment Requirements

Individuals undertaking this course will be expected to complete both written and practical assessment tasks. These are detailed in the sections following.

Entry Requirements

An individual undertaking this course with Allens Training Pty Ltd will need to demonstrate the following to be eligible for entry:

Communication skills sufficient to engage in effective dialogue, and understand complex concepts related to mental health

Those undertaking the course using the "Online with Face to Face Assessment" delivery mode.

Online study options: The online learning program can be found in the student portal. Students must have access to a computer, smart phone, tablet or other electronic device with access to the internet to complete the online studies and practical assessment.

Please note: It is expected that the online pre-course learning will take up to 3 hours to complete.

However, these are approximate timeframes only. Individuals who previously completed similar training may complete the online component in a shorter timeframe. An individual who is new to training may take longer to work their way through all the learning content and theory questions.

What happens at the course?

Practical task demonstrations:

Case Study: Demonstrate an understanding of mental health
Scenario 1 - Provide Support for a mental health concern
Scenario 2 - Provide Support for a mental health crisis

Theory assessment - A written assessment consisting of multiple choice and short answer questions. All questions must be completed.

11244NAT

Mental Health Support for First Responders