NEW!
e-learning CD-ROM course in Mental Health First Aid
The 12-hour face-to-face course in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) has been adapted into an interactive e-learning CD-ROM. This is particularly useful to people who are unable to attend the face-to-face training course.
The CD teaches members of the public skills:
- to recognise the early signs of mental illness
- to provide initial help to adults developing a mental disorder or in a mental health crisis situation.
The CD-ROM includes:
- An overview of MHFA
- Detailed MHFA action plans which cover:
- depression
- anxiety disorders
- psychosis
- substance use disorders
- Mental health problems in Australia
- 25 question knowledge quiz (at the start and completion of the CD) to gauge skills learnt
- Videos depicting real stories of:
- anxiety disorder
- depression
- bipolar disorder
- schizophrenia
- Interactive exercises, case studies and tests
- References and links to resources online such as beyondblue and MoodGYM
Click here to view the MHFA_e-learning_brochure.pdf
Is a MHFA Certificate available on completion of the e-learning CD?
The CD can be done on its own. However, to obtain a MHFA certificate, attendance is required to a 3.5-hour face-to-face course. This will practice the skills taught in the e-learning CD.
MHFA Instructors will provide the half-day training course, which will begin with an exam based on the CD’s content. Participants must pass this exam in order to qualify for a MHFA Certificate. Please note that this 3.5-hour course is only available to people who have completed the e-learning MHFA CD.
The MHFA Training and Research Program at ORYGEN Research Centre, the University of Melbourne, does not employ the MHFA Instructors. It trains and accredits and therefore each MHFA Instructor has autonomy and flexibility to set their own fees.
Where can I order the CD?
- People who wish to obtain a MHFA Certificate will need to contact one of the Instructors accredited to deliver the Adult MHFA
course
listed on the MHFA website
http://www.mhfa.com.au/instructor_list.php, who will sell them an
individual CD and book them into the 3.5-hour face-to-face course. - People who wish to use the CD but do not want a MHFA Certificate can order directly from the MHFA website, at
www.mhfa.com.au and click on 'MHFA Shop'.
QUANTITY COST per CD 1 copy $140 Discount for bulk orders 10 copies or more $135 100 copies or more $130 500 copies or more $120
Please note: As the e-learning CD-ROM is a very large file, licences are not available for organisations to put on their intranet sites. Each person needs to purchase a CD-ROM to use.
Evaluation of e-learning CD-ROM
Funding to evaluate e-learning CD-ROM
ORYGEN Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, has received a grant from an Australian Rotary Health Research Fund (www.arhrf.org.au) to conduct a randomised controlled trial of Mental Health First Aid by an e-learning CD-ROM.
The CD will be evaluated in a randomised controlled trial, scheduled to commence in late May 2008 and finish in December 2009. The primary aim is to evaluate the CD’s impact on mental health literacy, confidence in providing first aid, stigmatizing attitudes and first aid actions taken to help people with mental health problems. A secondary aim is to evaluate the impact of the training on the first aider's mental health.
Participants
Participants will comprise adults recruited progressively from the general community. Click here to view the:
Once Participants complete the Consent form and return it by email, they will be sent a link to a pre-study survey. This will be the first of three in total over a seven month period. Each survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete.
After completing the first survey, participants will be randomly assigned into one of the following groups:
- receive a MHFA e-learning CD (takes approximately 12 hours to complete)
- receive hard-copy MHFA manual
- be added to a Wait List to receive educational materials (these will be sent at the completion of the six month follow-up assessment).
What will the online surveys be about?
Participants will be asked questions to determine changes in knowledge, attitudes and helping behaviour prior to receiving the educational materials, one month after receiving them and six-months thereafter.
We will be comparing survey responses from people who work through the educational materials, with survey responses from people who are on the Wait List.
Please note: After completing all three surveys, all participants will receive both the Mental Health First Aid e-learning CD and the hard-copy Mental Health First Aid Manual. These are FREE and yours to keep.
Key research questions
- Will better learning outcomes be achieved by participants who complete the e-learning CD, compared to those who read the manual or receive no training in the control group?
- Will benefits be maintained over time?
Become a participant in the study
For further information or to become a participant in the study, please contact:
Julie-Anne Fischer
ORYGEN Research Centre
The University of Melbourne
Locked Bag 10
Parkville VIC 3052
email: jfischer@unimelb.edu.au
tel: 03 9342 3768 or
mobile: 0401 772 648