Mental Health First Aid Australia

Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor (Mental Health First Aid Australia)

Andrew Dean Gowan Brae Housemaster (Day) Science Teacher

Youth Mental Health First Aid is a two-day course based on guidelines developed through the expert consensus of people with lived experience of mental health problems and professionals. The course equips adults with the skills to recognise and respond to an adolescent who may be experiencing a mental health problem or crisis situation. Using a practical, evidencebased action plan, Youth MHFA teaches participants how to support an adolescent until appropriate professional help is received or the crisis resolves.

The course provides an overview of mental illnesses, risk factors, prevalence, and impact, before taking a much closer look at mental health problems, including depression, anxiety and eating disorders. Participants also learn how to apply mental health first aid in a range of crisis situations, including suicidal thoughts and behaviours, panic attacks, aggressive behaviours, and severe psychotic states. The Youth MHFA course is run each term at King’s for staff across all three campuses. Since its inception in 2020 as a regular professional development opportunity for employees, more than 150 King’s staff have become accredited as Youth Mental Health First Aiders – a wonderful asset for the wellbeing of our students. Accredited staff report greater confidence in:

• recognising the warning signs of mental health problems in young people and the importance of early intervention, • having the knowledge and skills required to speak openly and accurately about mental health and initiate a conversation with those of concern,

• responding in crisis situations where a young person may be at risk of harm and connecting them with the appropriate professional help, and • Reducing stigma and increasing support for young people with mental health problems.