Working in collaboration to deliver Mental Health First Aid and other courses to increase knowledge.
LaTrobe City Council partnered with The Mental Health Coach to equip key staff with Mental Health First Aid skills, enhancing support for colleagues and community members. After training, staff confidence in handling mental health conversations nearly doubled, benefiting even frontline roles like road maintenance teams who frequently engage with the public.
Client Objective
LaTrobe City Council is based in regional Victoria. They sought to ensure relevant staff across council had up to date Mental Health First Aid skills, to equip them to support each other, and also to support customers.
Because many council roles are community and customer facing, including the provision of primary health services, having thorough mental health training was seen to be imperative for the team.
TMHC Services accessed
TMHC Solution
We worked with the leadership team to identify who across council required initial MHFA training, as well as potential for any refresher training that may be required. We ran face to face training at council venues to support the team to learn valuable skills.
Full follow up support was provided, as well as administration and management of the program rollout.
Client Return on Investment
After training, staff reported feeling approximately twice as confident to have a conversation with a colleague or customer about mental health. Their confidence score went from 49% confident, to 89% confident.
Some very experienced staff left with new learnings and new approaches to use in their daily work.
Unique applications
Participating in the training were several road maintenance team members, who shared stories of members of the public approaching them directly on the street, often with hostility. Mental Health First Aid skills were essential for this team, to ensure that any negative impact of these types of interactions could be spotted early, and supported.
Our work with local government
We have a long history of working with Local Government and Councils, providing services to staff and the community alike.
Local councils have a unique mix of needs, requiring training and development of council staff, but also accessing and provisioning services to the community they serve.
At The Mental Health Coach, we are local government experts who work in partnership to implement creative, place based programs with a lasting impact.
“It will help me to better understand the youth I work with and how to talk and assess where they are at, as well as how to encourage them to seek help. Nick was excellent! He was able to keep the entire group engaged throughout, and created a comfortable and supportive environment. I HIGHLY recommend this course and Nick. Thank you so much.”
