PEOPLE in crisis are calling Lifeline for help in unprecedented numbers, prompting the delivery of mental health first aid course in the Gannawarra next month.
Fully funded by Bank Australia, the course goes for 12 hours and runs over two days.
The course is based on guidelines which have been developed through the expert consensus of professionals and people with lived experience of mental health problems.
“The program teaches participants how to assist adults who are either developing a mental health problem, or experiencing worsening of a mental health problem,” Lifeline Central Victoria and the Mallee executive officer Lisa Renato said.
“So the idea is that they can provide support until appropriate professional care can be received, or the crisis resolves.”
The COVID pandemic has seen an increase in demand for mental health services.
This need was reflected in the unprecedented number of calls to Lifeline received from Central Victoria and the Mallee, with the monthly average nearly doubling to 1700 calls in 2021, up from 800 in 2020.
“Our crisis support hotline is all about being able to provide people with support and prevention very early on, and these sorts of courses do the same thing within the community,” Ms Renato said.
“So by having the skills and knowledge and capability in the community, people can support and provide prevention before a crisis gets to its heightened level.”
While trainings like this were important for any community, Ms Renato believed they were of particular importance in rural communities, like Cohuna and Kerang, where wait times for professional health could be quite long.
She said, for example, the current average wait time to get into a professional mental health service in Bendigo was around eight to 10 weeks.
In the Mallee region, the wait time was almost double.
“By providing these types of courses in rural communities, it means that community members can support other community members and either be a support until they can get the professional help they need, or hopefully not need it at all,” Ms Renato said.
Although the course was tailored to support the community supporting those around them, Ms Renato believed people would find out more about their own mental wellbeing as well.
“Often people who walk away from this course feel a greater level of self-awareness around their own mental health, and self-care strategies as well,” she said.
The training will be held on March 17 and 18 in Cohuna and March 31 and April 1 in Kerang.
To find out more, visit the Lifeline Central Victoria and the Mallee website.
Anyone requiring urgent help can call Lifeline’s 24-hour number, 131 114. For crisis support, call Beyond Blue, 1300 224 636, headspace, 1800 650 890, or Kids Helpline, 1800 551 800.
