Mental health first aid: What is it and why do we need it?

At this DCA webinar we investigated what mental health first aid is and how intervening and providing initial support for staff experiencing difficulties is critical, both for the individuals themselves and for the wider organisation.

We all know staying mentally healthy can be a challenge at times, but especially during COVID-19 it continued to impact peoples health, wellbeing and livelihoods. It has never been a more critical time for workplaces to be aware of staff wellbeing.

But what should organisations and individuals do to help a work colleague who they’re concerned about or who is in distress? What is the best way to provide initial support to those who are experiencing a mental health crisis?

At this webinar, we investigated what mental health first aid is and how intervening and providing initial support for staff experiencing difficulties is critical, both for the individuals themselves and for the wider organisation.

Insights included:

  • How to identify the signs and symptoms of mental ill health and how workplaces can best respond and provide support
  • How to respond in the event of a crisis, such as when someone is suicidal
  • How to build capability and confidence in providing mental health first aid
  • When to refer an incident to a mental health professional
  • The role of workplace flexibility and reasonable adjustments in responding, and
  • What can be done to encourage a mentally healthy workplace, including tackling stigma.

Our guest speakers, joined by DCA CEO Lisa Annese, discussed the things that all workers and workplaces can do to support someone experiencing a mental health crisis. The panel included:

  1. Kathy Bond, PhD, Workplace Engagement Manager, Mental Health First Aid Australia
  2. Joel Clapham, Founder & Chief Mental Health Champ, HeartenUp
  3. Dawn ONeil AM, Ambassador, CogNative Solutions and former CEO of Lifeline Australia and Beyond Blue
  4. Rebecca Dunn, Partner Gilbert + Tobin

Event Reviews

“I found Rebecca and Dawn particularly inspiring and would love to dig deeper into their knowledge. The MHFAA guidelines and frameworks seem great, so more about how to apply them would be good.” Anon, event participant

“It was great – particularly liked the sharing of personal stories. Q&A was well-facilitated, especially given the online format.” Anon, event participant

“I thought the event was extremely well done, it was informative and descriptive. The speaker was extremely authentic and very raw. I believe these types of conversations are essential though very difficult to have and I found this for some of the content due to my own issues but I am extremely glad I was able to attend and hear his story. Very very important and it definitely helped me understand myself better even after so many years of therapy.” Belinda, event participant

“Great event. I really liked that you got Dawn from Lifeline on – she was a wonderful panelist.” Courtney, event participant

I found it very useful to my role as a HR practitioner and during times where mental health is becoming more prevalent.” Falon, event participant

“Thank you very much for the opportunity to listen to your mental health first aid event, every single presenter was terrific,  all had something worthwhile to contribute and all with such different backgrounds, well worth the time and a very important topic ” Anon, event participant

Event Sponsors

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