16 June 2025 – A groundbreaking national report on secondary trauma in educators has prompted Australian health promotion charity Mental Health First Aid to call for immediate investment in mental health first aid training across the education sector, including every teacher-in-training.
Released by Dr Adam Fraser, The Silent Cost: Impact and Management of Secondary Trauma in Educators reveals that nearly 75 percent of teachers experience moderate to high levels of Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS), with rates higher than those reported by psychologists and emergency responders.
“Teaching shouldn’t hurt. This report confirms what many of us already know, that the emotional toll on educators is real, serious, and preventable with the right training and support,” Dr Jakqui Barnfield, Executive Director of International Programs, Quality and Research at Mental Health First Aid said.
Mental Health First Aid has developed a new, evidence-based course tailored specifically for education professionals. The short, online training equips teachers and school staff with practical skills to recognise, respond to, and support peers experiencing mental health problems, and to care for themselves.
The course is currently being piloted, with positive feedback from education professionals. Many say they feel more confident approaching struggling colleagues, encouraging early help seeking, asking directly about suicide, and navigating their own mental health more effectively.
Importantly, Mental Health First Aid is partnering with the Australian Council of Deans of Education, and alongside youth mental health experts Orygen, to call for government investment in the development of tailored MHFA training for to up to 100,000 pre-service teachers through Initial Teacher Education programs.
“This is about building capacity from day one. We’re advocating for every education student to complete Mental Health First Aid training as part of their degree. It’s time to shift from crisis response to early intervention,” Dr Barnfield added.
Mental Health First Aid presented its work at the International Association for Suicide Prevention’s 33rd World Congress in Vienna.
“We want to send a clear message to education departments and governments: don’t wait until teachers burn out. Let’s give every teacher the tools they need to support each other and stay in the profession they love,” Dr Barnfield said.
