The Australian Bureau of Statistics reveals that 1 in 5 Australians aged 16-85 experience a mental illness in any year, with anxiety and depression being the most prevalent conditions.
Mental health challenges are increasingly common in Australia, and the workplace is not immune from managing these conditions.
In fact, as long-standing taboos ‘fall away’, and people become more comfortable disclosing mental health challenges in the workplace, understanding how to assist and support those colleagues has become an in-demand skillset.
Most of us are familiar with traditional first aid – learning how to handle physical emergencies. But now Mental Health First Aid training is helping people deal with mental health crises in a range of social and professional settings.
Mental Health First Aid training helps people recognise the signs and symptoms of mental illness, how to offer help in the moment, and how to guide people in the right direction to professional help if necessary.
According to PwC, untreated mental health issues cost Australian companies $10.9 billion every year through absence from work, low productivity, and compensation claims.
However, companies that implement Mental Health First Aid training for staff are realising many advantages, such as improving the workplace atmosphere and the wellbeing of their employees.
Benefits of Implementing Mental Health First Aid Skills
- Trained staff can recognise the initial signs of mental illness or crisis and are equipped with the skills to support an individual through this time and onto professional or clinical help.
- Mental Health First Aid training increases the comfort of talking about mental health concerns, which can help decrease the stigma associated with it, making the workplace a more supportive environment.
- Organisations with employees who have been trained in Mental Health First Aid usually have lower levels of absenteeism, better employee retention, and better performing teams. The Australian Human Rights Commission estimates that for every dollar spent on mental health, the returns can be between two and four times the initial investment through enhanced productivity.
- Mental Health First Aid certification obtained from MiTraining enhances your professional skills and shows willingness to work for the welfare of employees.
Mental Health First Aid is not only good for the workforce, but also necessary in the contemporary workplace for the wellbeing and productivity of employees.
Become an Accredited a Mental Health First Aider
View the full range of face-to-face Mental Health First Aid public courses and find a location closest to you. We also offer an online version of MHFA training for busy professionals, and it can be delivered as a corporate workshop for 6 or more staff in your workplace.
Already an accredited Mental Health First Aider? Keep your accreditation current with MiTraining’s Mental Health First Aid Refresher course.
