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Courses and Workshops

Mental health first aid

****This course is now postponed to a date to be advised***** as at 8 July 2022. Please email olivia.yap@australian.physio to be updated with new dates

Physiotherapists are involved in the care of people from all walks of life. One in four people will experience a mental health problem at some stage in their life plus c Comorbid mental health problems are common amongst people who access physiotherapy services including but not limited to those experiencing chronic pain, chronic physical illness, multiple pain areas or following a traumatic event. In Australia, approximately one in five adults will experience mental illness in any given year and physiotherapists and other health care professionals can expect to have close contact with someone experiencing a mental illness or a mental health problem.

Lack of knowledge and stigmatising attitudes about mental illness may prevent people from seeking help or providing appropriate support because they do not know how. Stigmatised attitudes and lack of knowledge about mental health conditions are not limited to the general public and can impact on healthcare workers interactions with patients. Stigmatising attitudes can reinforce disempowerment, loss of self-belief and a sense of shame in the person with comorbid mental health problems.3,4 It has been suggested that training of healthcare workers in mental health literacy is essential to ensure appropriate support and referrals are made for people with mental illness.5 This MHFA course will improve mental health literacy of physiotherapists.

Learning outcomes

  • Identify Mental illness, risk factors, prevalence and impact, appropriate interventions and recovery
  • Explain the role of mental health first aid and the MHFA action plan
  • Identify, discuss and recognise signs and symptoms, interventions for depression
  • Apply MHFA action plan for depression
  • Identify, discuss and recognise signs and symptoms, interventions for anxiety problems
  • Apply MHFA action plan for anxiety problems
  • Identify, discuss and recognise and symptoms, interventions for psychosis
  • Apply MHFA action plan for psychosis
  • Identify, discuss and recognise signs and symptoms, interventions for substance use problems

Presenters

Joanne Connaughton


Associate Professor Jo Connaughton is the previous Chair of the Australian Physiotherapy Mental Health Special Interest Group and ex-Secretary of the International Organisation of Physiotherapists in Mental Health (IOPTMH). In July 2018 Jo Connaughton stepped down from Dean, School of Physiotherapy at University of Notre Dame Australia following a physiotherapy career spanning over 40 years including. In her 30 years of clinical work Jo practiced in almost all aspects of physiotherapy in metropolitan and regional WA, working with people from across the lifespan in both public and private settings including acute mental health. As Discipline Leader in an acute mental health facility Jo worked predominately with people aged between 18 and 65, however, also worked with older adults and supervised physiotherapists working in the psychogeriatric units. Jo joined the University in 2007 and in semi-retirement now teaches undergraduate students pathophysiology, presentation and treatment of mental health conditions. She is also a qualified Mental Health First Aid instructor and advocates for this to be included in undergraduate degrees. Jo's research in the mental health field includes exploring attitudes of physiotherapists and physiotherapy students towards mental health and psychiatry and more recently how these are influenced by inclusion of Mental Health First Aid training in undergraduate programs. Jo has also researched headaches experienced by people with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder and has presented her research findings at National and International Conferences.

Susan Edgar


Susan Edgar has been involved in the education and training of healthcare students and clinicians for over 20 years. Research areas include mental health literacy, student motivation and engagement and health workforce retention and job satisfaction. In 2016 Susan won a Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning in the Australian Awards for University Teaching, for implementing and promoting life-long wellness and self-management strategies to enhance the mental health, confidence and emotional wellbeing of physiotherapy students on clinical placement. She continues to deliver Mental Health First Aid Training to physiotherapists across Australia and has recently finished co-writing the Level 1 Mental Health course for physiotherapists. In May 2021, she commenced as Program Coordinator for ECU's Student and Staff Mental Health Strategy, coordinating a range of actions supporting student and staff mental health and wellbeing. She also volunteers weekly as a crisis supporter for Lifeline WA

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Courses and Workshops
23
Sat 23 - Sun 24
July
08:00AM - 04:30PM AWST
Suite 1, 4 Sarich Way
Bentley WA 6109 View map
Price: Non Member: $618.00
APA Member: $440.00
Mental Health Group: $385.00
Distance Discount: $385.00
Registration closing date: 10 Jul 2022 Event status: Closed CPD hours: 15.00 * Early bird prices close 4 weeks prior to the course start date
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At a glance
Price: Non Member: $618.00
APA Member: $440.00
Mental Health Group: $385.00
Distance Discount: $385.00
Registration closing date: 10 Jul 2022 Event status: Closed CPD hours: 15.00 * Early bird prices close 4 weeks prior to the course start date
Your registration status:
Presenters

Joanne Connaughton


Associate Professor Jo Connaughton is the previous Chair of the Australian Physiotherapy Mental Health Special Interest Group and ex-Secretary of the International Organisation of Physiotherapists in Mental Health (IOPTMH). In July 2018 Jo Connaughton stepped down from Dean, School of Physiotherapy at University of Notre Dame Australia following a physiotherapy career spanning over 40 years including. In her 30 years of clinical work Jo practiced in almost all aspects of physiotherapy in metropolitan and regional WA, working with people from across the lifespan in both public and private settings including acute mental health. As Discipline Leader in an acute mental health facility Jo worked predominately with people aged between 18 and 65, however, also worked with older adults and supervised physiotherapists working in the psychogeriatric units. Jo joined the University in 2007 and in semi-retirement now teaches undergraduate students pathophysiology, presentation and treatment of mental health conditions. She is also a qualified Mental Health First Aid instructor and advocates for this to be included in undergraduate degrees. Jo's research in the mental health field includes exploring attitudes of physiotherapists and physiotherapy students towards mental health and psychiatry and more recently how these are influenced by inclusion of Mental Health First Aid training in undergraduate programs. Jo has also researched headaches experienced by people with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder and has presented her research findings at National and International Conferences.


Susan Edgar


Susan Edgar has been involved in the education and training of healthcare students and clinicians for over 20 years. Research areas include mental health literacy, student motivation and engagement and health workforce retention and job satisfaction. In 2016 Susan won a Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning in the Australian Awards for University Teaching, for implementing and promoting life-long wellness and self-management strategies to enhance the mental health, confidence and emotional wellbeing of physiotherapy students on clinical placement. She continues to deliver Mental Health First Aid Training to physiotherapists across Australia and has recently finished co-writing the Level 1 Mental Health course for physiotherapists. In May 2021, she commenced as Program Coordinator for ECU's Student and Staff Mental Health Strategy, coordinating a range of actions supporting student and staff mental health and wellbeing. She also volunteers weekly as a crisis supporter for Lifeline WA


Learning outcomes
  • Identify Mental illness, risk factors, prevalence and impact, appropriate interventions and recovery
  • Explain the role of mental health first aid and the MHFA action plan
  • Identify, discuss and recognise signs and symptoms, interventions for depression
  • Apply MHFA action plan for depression
  • Identify, discuss and recognise signs and symptoms, interventions for anxiety problems
  • Apply MHFA action plan for anxiety problems
  • Identify, discuss and recognise and symptoms, interventions for psychosis
  • Apply MHFA action plan for psychosis
  • Identify, discuss and recognise signs and symptoms, interventions for substance use problems
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