WORKING WELL: Mental Health First Aid in the Workplace

 mental health- WW Logo



Provide mental first aid in the workplace, No way! I’m not qualified!

This is a natural response and very similar to when physical first aid was first introduced.  “Working Well! Mental Health First Aid in the Workplace” is not a program for teaching you how to be a therapist.  What it does do is provide you with practical insight into common mental health issues, how to recognise them, and how to have an appropriate discussion with the person whose behaviour has changed in order to give help.

Why such a program?  Because we all struggle from time to time.  In fact, 1 in 5 Australians (16-85) are likely to experience a mental health issue in any given year and roughly 1 in 2 will experience a common mental health-related condition such as depression, anxiety or a substance use disorder over the course of their lifetime.  So if not you, then it is highly likely that it is someone you are close to.

This program is aimed at RAISING AWARENESS and providing some PRACTICAL INSIGHTS into how you can support someone who is struggling.


Program Outcomes include:

  1. Getting an overview of what a mental health issue is, its frequency in the workplace and why we benefit from having a Mental Health First Aid program.
  2. Acquiring a basic understanding of common mental health illnesses (depression, anxiety, substance-use disorders) and how they may present (behaviours, feelings, attitudes, thoughts).
  3. Having the opportunity to raise concerns such as; what is the workplace role, ‘diagnosing’, invading privacy and overstepping appropriate boundaries, and organisational expectations such as duty of care.
  4. Identifying what to do: 5 Basic steps for addressing how to manage a situation of suspected mental health issue
  5. Communication tools (questions, sentences, things to consider) for having the ‘conversation’ with someone when you notice a change in behaviour.
  6. Discovering the wealth of resources available



What clients say



Managing “Mental health in the workplace” has been the most requested PD activity by our staff for several years. Tracey worked closely with us to customise the program to achieve the outcomes we were after; that our staff are better equipped to have courageous conversations, to understand what is and what is not expected of them in a work context, and to know where they can go for information, advice or help. Tracey gets the communication cut through that is famously and uniquely her style. As a HR practitioner, I know our staff are safe in her hands, especially when it comes to dealing with topics that can often sit in an organisation’s too hard basket.

Kelly Maher
Manager Human Resources & Workplace Relations
South West Institute of Technology