Friday, March 29, 2024

Frankston council offers mental health training

Frankston City Council is offering free mental health training to people who live, work, play,
socialise and study in the municipality.

The 90-minute online session, ‘Mental Health Matters’, is run by the Australian Red Cross and covers typical indicators of mental health concerns and discusses effective support.

A local resident recently attended a session and found it highly beneficial, telling Council: “I’ve personally struggled with mental illness myself, but I didn’t really understand what happened to me. So, I started to look for more information to educate myself a little bit more. I also know a few people who are facing a mental health concerns.”

“I learned a lot from the session, which opened my eyes and my mind about mental health.
Being able to notice when people around us may be having down times or difficulties is crucial. [Recognising the signs] means we can reach out and support them and direct them
to find the right professional help, if needed.

“We also learned how to properly approach someone who is struggling — how to make the
person feel comfortable and build some trust between you.

“Our instructor was very knowledgeable and experienced. I would definitely recommend
the training to others,” the resident said.

The session gives participants a basic understanding of how to support someone who is
experiencing mental health concerns and is the ideal platform to begin mental health training.

There are no formal assessments as part of this non-accredited course and participants will
receive a Certificate of Participation from Australian Red Cross. Content covers history of
mental health support, recognition of mental health concerns and support/assistance.

The benefits include an introduction to mental health, increased understanding effective
supports for mental health and being able to recognise the signs and symptoms of mental
health concerns.

The sessions are also available ‘in person’ at Frankston library. For more information and to
register, visit www.frankston.vic.gov.au/MentalHealthFirstAid

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