Important update:

The national accreditation for this course will expire on 18 August 2025, and the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Learning (Learning Centre, operating under RTO 40745 West Moreton Hospital and Health Service) must meet compliance obligations by only enrolling learners in current training products. We cannot accept new enrolments for course deliveries past the accreditation end date in August.

A new 11362NAT Course in Observing and Documenting the Mental State Examination course will soon be made available – we anticipate having information about availability by October 2025.

In the meantime, if you are interested in being added to a reserve list for the planned events, please register your interest via the link below:

Register your interest

A member of our team will contact you directly to provide details of options. When the new course is available, you will be contacted again with instructions on how to enrol and secure your place.

If you have any questions, or require further information, please contact qcmhltraining@health.qld.gov.au or phone 0436 613 469.

This course is for practitioners working in mental health, alcohol and other drugs services. It is delivered in two parts via online classroom, followed by a two hour (approximate) online assessment. To support the training, there are recommended self-study options provided (details below).

Learners will receive training in all the essential knowledge and skills required to satisfactorily achieve competency in observing and documenting the mental state examination (MSE).

As a nationally accredited course, it is audited to ensure it meets current industry expectations and reflects the latest evidence-based practice methods and knowledge, as well as industry best practice standards.

Part one (4 hours) provides an introduction to MSE, general appearance and behaviour, speech, mood and affect, perception.

Part two (4 hours) continues on to cover thought content, thought form/flow, insight, judgement, cognition.

More information about this course is available in the handout: 10881NAT Course in Observing and Documenting the Mental State Examination - Course handout

Unique Student Identifier (USI)
Provision of a USI is a Federal Government requirement since 1 January 2015, for all participants of accredited training within Australia. To obtain a USI register as a student via www.usi.gov.au

It is imperative you read the Pre-course information booklet as it contains course pre-readings (e.g. clinical terminology; quick reference guide). The booklet provides details about the course, scope of practice, rights, responsibilities and other expectations associated with undertaking this course.

This four-hour workshop is part 2 of the foundational level supervisee training and builds on the topics introduced in part 1 - QC60 Introduction to Supervision (eLearning). 

Underpinned by the Queensland Health Supervision Guidelines for Mental Health Alcohol and Other Drugs Services 2023, this course is for any staff who wish to learn how to engage in supervision to get the most value out of supervision and establish a strong working alliance with their supervisor. It may also help those who have had unhelpful supervision experiences bring greater structure to their supervision practice. This course is aimed at all disciplines and work roles. It is also essential pre-training for those wanting to become a supervisor and enrol in QC4 Supervisor training. See QC4 Supervisor or the supervision course relationships diagram for more information.

QC8 Supervisee (workshop) is available in both face-to-face and online formats. Refer to location/venue details for available sessions.   

Note: Completion of QC60 Introduction to Supervision (eLearning) is a pre-requisite before enrolling in this course.

More information about this course is available in the handout: QC8 Supervisee – Course handout

This two day workshop builds upon the learning from QC4 Supervisor, providing a safe environment for participants to develop advanced skills in providing supervision to those who are supervisors. Outlining the components and stages of supervisory processes will guide the supervising supervisor to establish, negotiate, maintain and end a supervisory relationship, thus decreasing ambiguity and providing clarity for roles and outcomes. Supporting and strengthening consumer centred mental health services is the underpinning focus of supervision practices.

Along with pre-requisite training requirements; active, recent and long-term (over 1 year) experience of providing supervision is strongly recommended to be part of this advanced course.

Note: QC4 Supervisor is a pre-requisite for those wishing to complete this course.

More information about this course is available in the handout: QC12 Supervising Supervisors - Course handout

This one day course provides invaluable practical training for clinicians and professionals across all disciplines and experience levels, by enhancing interpersonal skills in creating a collaborative relationship with their client. The course explores the use of a person-centred approach in the development of the therapeutic alliance and provides opportunities to learn and practice skills based on contemporary empirically supported evidence. This course is ideal for anyone wanting to build strengths in communication practices and enhance clinical practice.

More information about this course is available in the handout: QC23 Forming the Therapeutic Alliance - Course handout

This one-day workshop helps you to build the skills and knowledge required to deliver safe group-based therapeutic interventions. The course equips learners with a variety of techniques and approaches to establish and develop group safety and cohesion across the developmental lifespan of the therapeutic group. Through activities and experiential exploration, learners will have the opportunity to practice strategies and approaches to support interpersonal relationships among group members and respond to challenges that emerge through the group process.

Note: Whilst not a compulsory component of the QC27 workshop, QC44 An Introduction to Group Facilitation (eLearning) may serve as complementary learning. This eLearning may be completed before or after attending the workshop if you are interested in enhancing your knowledge further.

More information about this course is available in the handout: QC27 Group Facilitation in Therapeutic Contexts - Course handout

This workshop focuses on supporting clinicians’ working knowledge and application of the Tier 2 component of the Assessing and Responding to Violence (ARV) Framework. The three-tiered approach to violence risk assessment and management within the Framework is based on a formalised governance structure which supports clinician assessment and management of violence risk with their consumers.

QC30 has been designed to provide learners with the content and process knowledge they will need to complete Tier 2 violence risk assessment and management planning within the Assessing and Responding to Violence (ARV) Framework.

Clinicians who have been identified as senior clinicians (with respect to violence risk) by their service should attend this training. Typically, senior clinicians have several years’ experience working in mental health, and have a good understanding of local policy and services.

 Update 14 June 2024

Notification was provided by the Chief Psychiatrist in April 2024 that the name of the Framework has changed from the Violence Risk Assessment and Management (VRAM) Framework to the Assessing and Responding to Violence (ARV) Framework. Training materials and documents will continue to refer to the Framework as previously until course materials are reviewed and updated. The name of the tool used at Tier 2 level continues to be called the Violence Risk Assessment and Management (VRAM) tool.

Note: Completion of QC57 An Introduction to Violence Risk Assessment and Management (eLearning) is a pre-requisite before enrolling in this course.

More information about this course is available in the handout: QC30 Violence Risk Assessment and Management - Course handout

(Adapted from QC9 Critical Components of Risk Assessment and Management)

Delivered via online classroom, this two-session course aims to promote evidence-based clinical risk assessment and management practices that improve consistency in the assessment and management of risks in mental health.

Session One (4 hours) provides participants with skills to gather and identify risk factors relevant to an individual, by working through a case example.

Session Two (4 hours) will develop skills in weighing up risk factors, documenting these clearly in a risk summary, and developing individualised plans and interventions to address the risks.

Designed for mental health practitioners of all levels of experience, professionals from other services may also find this workshop highly relevant when working with people experiencing mental health problems.

More information about the course content including anticipated learning outcomes, can be found in the QC9 course handout: QC9 Critical Components of Risk Assessment and Management- Course handout

This 3 hour course draws together elements from the former QC13 Capacity Assessment face-to-face workshop and QC40 Capacity Assessment Training and Advance Health Directives.

As well as incorporating recent updates, this course has been developed to provide a short and interactive skills workshop for assessing capacity in adults in mental health. The course will help you to understand:

• capacity and consent, and the factors that impact on this;
• how to document capacity; the ‘less restrictive way’ for providing consent to treatment (including use of Advance Health Directives);
• and legislative frameworks to support capacity decisions and upholding the person’s human rights, particularly the Mental Health Act 2016 and Guardianship and Administration Act 2000.

Video scenarios are used to help you to apply the skills taught.

This one-day workshop focuses on the knowledge and skills required to deliver safe group-based therapeutic interventions. The course explores the following key issues around group facilitation in therapeutic contexts: safe group facilitation principles, structure of group sessions, management of group dynamics and process issues, and the role of the facilitator. During the workshop learners will focus on consolidating theory provided via the pre-requisite eLearning, and reinforce process through activities and experiential exploration, with a particular focus on the management of group dynamics and facilitation challenges.

Note: Completion of QC44 An Introduction to Group Facilitation (eLearning) is a pre-requisite before enrolment in this workshop is accessible.

More information about this course is available in the handout: QC27 Group Facilitation in Therapeutic Contexts - Course handout

Decommissioned March 2025

DDQC2: EARS has been designed to develop core clinical competencies and practices that align with the training element of the Zero Suicide framework and is currently being rolled out across Zero Suicide sites across Queensland.

Designed in collaboration with the Gold Coast Hospital and Health service, EARS explores suicide risk and represents a philosophical shift in the treatment of suicidality within Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs services. This includes a shift away from a focus on prediction, towards a framework for prevention, and a shift away from clinician orientated treatment of illness, towards a collaborative process of engagement and care planning that conceptualises suicide as a behaviour that requires specific targeted intervention.

EARS presents a number of conceptual models for understanding suicidal behaviours that can be applied to individuals across the lifespan.

The blended learning course comprises of two components - beginning with eLearning modules (part 1), and concluding with a full day face-to-face workshop (part 2).

DDQC2 EARS is aimed at both new clinicians commencing clinical practice and experienced practitioners seeking to update and consolidate their practice framework with contemporary understanding of supporting suicidal people.

Decommissioned March 2025

More information about this course is available in the handout: QC2 Engage, Assess, Respond to, and Support Suicidal People - Course handout

This eLearning module introduces the strengths model of recovery and is aligned with Queensland Health's recovery-focused strategic goals and standards. By identifying an individual’s strengths, the treating team and the client can develop a holistic care plan that sets achievable recovery goals together. Resources, including the Strengths Assessment Tool, are provided to assist workers in embedding the approach into practice.

Note: This eLearning is a required pre-requisite for those intending to progress to the QC24 Working with Strengths in Recovery full day workshop.

As a clinician working in mental health, it is important to know about cognition and how it can impact functioning. Cognitive difficulties can significantly impact a person's ability to perform day to day tasks which can affect longer term recovery. This eLearning course is designed to provide mental health clinicians with an introduction to the cognitive difficulties that people with a mental illness may face and identify some strategies and therapies that can support the person. Core topics of cognition and function, assessment and intervention are covered. Targeted to clinicians working in mental health settings, it is suitable for both experienced clinicians and those new to practice. It is self-paced and takes approximately two (2) hours to complete.

A Police Advice and Intervention Plan (PAIP), previously known as a Police and Ambulance Intervention Plan, is a plan developed by mental health clinicians that provides specific information and strategies regarding a consumer to inform and assist the Queensland Police Service (QPS) to mediate a mental health event involving a consumer in the community. 

This eLearning course provides a comprehensive and interactive overview of the founding principles of formulation and intervention planning. Throughout the course the learner receives information which is then applied to a case study. The clinician’s thinking process is made explicit throughout the module, in order to support the learner’s own development.

In the Formulation section of the course, the 5P approach to formulation is described and then applied. A focus on understanding and describing links between various factors of the formulation is demonstrated in order to improve clinical understanding.

In the Intervention Planning section, the process of utilising a person’s individual recovery goals within a shared formulation, to co-create clinical goals and intervention strategies, is explained and examples provided. Foundational principles of intervention planning (e.g. SMARTER strategies) are also described and applied.

This course complements the face-to-face course QC14 Fundamentals of Assessment, Formulation and Planning, however is not a compulsory part of that course.

This eLearning course is designed to provide information to support clinicians working with consumers at risk of becoming violent or aggressive; and is based on Queensland Health policy, including the Assessing and Responding to Violence (ARV) Framework (the Framework), formerly known as the Violence risk assessment and management (VRAM) framework.. It is useful to any clinician working with individuals who may be at risk for exhibiting violence or aggression.

Specifically, this course will furnish you with knowledge regarding practical elements of working with violence risk in a Queensland Health context including understanding how to apply the Framework, and how to use the Violence Risk Assessment and Management (V-RAM) tool. Key concepts related to the assessment of violence risk are covered, including the principles and components of information gathering (evidence based risk factors), collection of collateral information, information sharing, and strategies to overcome common barriers. Strategies for conceptualising assessment information are demonstrated, in order to write a useful risk summary. A suggested template is provided to help guide your thought process in the workplace. Risk management planning is covered next, discussing how to ensure risk management plans are linked to risk summaries, suggested intervention strategies for common violence risk factors, how to distinguish between long-term and short-term risk management strategies, consideration of referrals to specialist forensic services, and reassessment of risk. Throughout the eLearning course, vignettes are provided to illustrate the application of content.

 Update 14 June 2024

Notification was provided by the Chief Psychiatrist in April 2024 that the name of the Framework has changed from the Violence Risk Assessment and Management (VRAM) Framework to the Assessing and Responding to Violence (ARV) Framework. Training materials and documents will continue to refer to the Framework as previously until course materials are reviewed and updated. The name of the tool used at Tier 2 level continues to be called the Violence Risk Assessment and Management (VRAM) tool.

Note: This eLearning is the pre-requisite to QC30 Violence Risk Assessment and Management training.

This online awareness package communicates the key issues addressed in the 2016 Sexual Health and Safety Guidelines for mental health, alcohol and other drug services. It is designed as a tool for Hospital and Health Services to use in the orientation of new staff as well as local training programs, especially those focusing on risk assessment, care planning and physical health.

This program is made up of a series of webinars and two eLearning modules on topics such as assessment, formulation, diagnosis, care planning and care review.  The information contained in these recordings has been provided by Clinical Excellence Queensland, Insight, Dovetail and the Learning Centre.  Some of the recordings are informational while others demonstrate how to complete documentation, apply the principles of comprehensive care in multidisciplinary teams and provide comprehensive care in your practice. 

Note: RE08 is a collection of resources and not a course; ie it does not have a designated start or finish, or a prescribed order. However, two of the 14 included resources are eLearning modules that will award separate certificates upon completion of the modules. Awarding of the certificate does not assume completion of all resources contained on the page.