As the presence of mental health problems gain focus and recognition, Western Australia’s City of Geraldton has taken a progressive stance, implementing a training course for key members of staff.
In June, the first trainees undertook a two day, in house Mental Health First Aid course conducted by Mental Health First Aid training providers. Mental Health First Aid is a cross agency partnership with additional community membership.
Workshops provided Council staff with an overview of common mental health problems to increase their awareness and ability to recognise symptoms. They learnt approaches to providing initial help and how to encourage people to seek appropriate professional help.
“The purpose of the course is not to turn staff into therapists, but to raise awareness of the issues in our community and equip them with better tools to cope in difficult and crisis situations,” said Council’s Human Resources Manager, James Ross.
The course targeted staff dealing with the general public and City officers with responsibility for managing staff internally. Trainees included rangers, cashiers, reception staff, and senior managers.
James Ross said that feedback has indicated that the course was effective in clarifying different types of mental health problems that exist. It was also successful in communicating that the majority of problems can be easily treated with professional assistance.
“We plan to run the course again for other staff members,” James Ross said. “It has definitely changed my perception and I now believe that seeking the assistance of a mental health professional is no different to seeing my GP about my physical health, which in fact can be related to mental health.”
Population Health Mental Health Promotion Officer, Timothy Howe, said offering this training to employees is reflective of the City of Geraldton’s progressiveness in providing better services to the local community.
“We hope that other organisations follow their lead and provide this sort of training to front line staff and those likely to come across people with mental health problems in their line of work,” he said. “People in these roles need to be able to recognise symptoms and have the skills to cope in these situations.”
For further information, contact Timothy Howe on (08) 9956 2335.
