In addition to Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training, the Learning Centre is pleased to now host the half day refresher for this course. MHFAR is facilitated by an accredited MHFA facilitator.

The 4-hour refresher course allows people who have previously completed a Standard MHFA course to refresh their knowledge and skills. The course also offers Accredited MHFAiders an opportunity to extend their accreditation for a further 3 years.

Participants will gain an understanding of the latest research in the mental health field, learn the 3 key actions to help someone experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviours, and work through complex mental health first aid interactions.

Note: This course is a refresher and not a substitute for attending the full two-day MHFA. Participants are expected to have previously completed MHFA.

*Funding arrangement for West Moreton, Queensland Health staff, contact 3271 8837 for information.

More information about this course is available on the MHFA Australia website - MHFA Refresher

This course has two versions. If you are looking for the Youth version of this course please scroll down or search for QC28.

QC2: 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).

QC2 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.

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

"Supervision is a designated interaction between two or more practitioners, within a safe and supportive environment, which enables a process of reflective, critical analysis of care, to ensure quality consumer services." (Clinical Supervision Guidelines for Mental Health Services, 2009).

This two-day workshop will prepare you for your supervisor role. It is designed for staff from all disciplines including non-clinical areas such as the peer workforce. During this workshop you will explore ways to enhance your supervisor skills using a variety of strategies and tools. Several high-quality skills demonstration videos are shown that model the core elements of good supervision practice. As you deepen your understanding of these elements you will have opportunities to practise delivering supervision that is culturally sensitive.

To be able to progress and enrol in this training you must pass a pre-enrolment screen that requires you to:

• meet the minimum requirements to be a Supervisor as set out in the Clinical Supervision Guidelines for Mental Health Services 2009
• achieve a minimum of 90% correct for twenty multiple choice knowledge questions.

There are resources provided to help you answer the questions.

This screen ensures that everyone who attends our QC4 Supervisor training comes with a similar understanding of the key concepts, regardless of previous experience and/or training in supervision.

Note: this course is a pre-requisite for those wishing to complete QC12 Supervising Supervisors.

More information about this course is available in the handout: QC4 Supervisor - Course handout

This one day workshop aims to promote evidence-based clinical risk assessment and management practices that improve consistency in the assessment and management of consumer risks. The workshop provides participants with skills to gather and identify risk factors relevant to an individual, and complete an analysis of risks weighed against mitigating factors. 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 this course is available in the handout: QC9 Critical Components of Risk Assessment and Management- Course handout

Violence Risk Assessment and Management Framework - Induction Video

This video introduces and describes the Queensland Health Violence risk assessment and management framework – mental health services (the Framework). The video presents information about the three-tiered approach to violence risk assessment and response within the Framework, the purpose and principles of the Framework, how the Framework will be implemented, and clinical roles and responsibilities.

The video runs for approximately 20 minutes.

A transcript of the video can be downloaded here.

This half day workshop builds clinicians skills in capacity assessment for the adult consumer. This includes consumers consent to mental health assessment, treatment options and general health care. The Mental Health Act and the Guardianship and Administration Act define capacity and discuss the relevant tribunals for consumer assessment and treatment. The workshop will explore substitute decision makers under the Mental Health Act and the Guardianship and Administration Act. Hands on skill development include reviewing case studies/vignettes to assess for capacity, how to document capacity, and discussion and review of court decisions in regard to capacity. The course is recommended for all clinicians working with consumers, and should be completed as a refresher every two years to ensure currency of practice.

More information about this course is available in the handout: QC13 Capacity Assessment - 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 course is designed for Educators delivering SRAM-ED workshops in local HHS services. Participants must be committed to delivering a prescribed number of sessions as determined by local staffing needs and provide documented evidence of these in reports to the primary stakeholder.

An Expression of Interest must be submitted, addressing selection criteria, in order to be considered for this course. Contact sramed@health.qld.gov.au for more information.

Note: if you are interested in attending a local SRAM-ED Foundational or Advanced workshop please contact your local educator. Local workshop sessions are not managed by the Learning Centre.

More information about this course is available in the handout: QC25 Suicide Risk Assessment and Management in an Emergency Department Setting (SRAM-ED) - Train-the-trainer - Course handout

The Queensland Centre for Mental Health Learning (Learning Centre) has for many years been a key source for suicide risk assessment training across Queensland, more recently being invited by a number of stakeholder groups to tailor the program with a focus on working with Youth. Thus when the major redevelopment of our core QC2 Suicide Risk Assessment course was being scoped, the parameters of the project were widened to allow for the development of QC28 Youth: Engage, Assess, Respond to, and Support Suicidal People (YEARS).

The course will address youth specific developmental and systemic issues.

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

QC28 YEARS will be suitable for both new clinicians commencing clinical practice and experienced practitioners seeking to update and consolidate their practice framework with contemporary understanding of supporting suicidal people.

More information about this course is available in the handout: QC28 Youth: Engage, Assess, Respond to, and Support Suicidal People - Course handout

QC30 Violence Risk Assessment and Management is a blended training product. QC30 focuses on supporting clinicians’ working knowledge and application of the Tier 2 component of the Violence risk assessment and management framework – mental health services (the 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 Violence risk assessment and management framework – mental health services.

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

Violence Risk Assessment and Management Framework - Induction Video

This video introduces and describes the Queensland Health Violence risk assessment and management framework – mental health services (the Framework). The video presents information about the three-tiered approach to violence risk assessment and response within the Framework, the purpose and principles of the Framework, how the Framework will be implemented, and clinical roles and responsibilities.

The video runs for approximately 20 minutes.

A transcript of the video can be downloaded here.

(Adapted from QC2 Engage, Assess, Respond to, and Support Suicidal People)

Contemporary suicide prevention models will be presented to enhance understanding and responses to suicidal behaviours of individuals across the lifespan.

Session One (4 hours) develop a greater understanding of working with suicidal people and assessing risk and protective factors and implications for care planning.

Session Two (4 hours) develop skills in assessing suicidal intent and prevention-orientated risk summary and managing acute risk.

This course is aimed at both new clinicians and experienced practitioners seeking to update, refresh or consolidate their practice framework with suicidal people.

More information about the course content including anticipated learning outcomes, can be found in the QC2 course handout: QC2 Engage, Assess, Respond to, and Support Suicidal People - Course handout

(adapted from QC14 Fundamentals of Assessment, Formulation and Planning)

Delivered via online classroom, this interactive course takes place over 2 two, four-hour sessions (session one and session two) making it accessible for clinicians across Queensland. Learners will connect via a computer/laptop or other device to join the workshop – no travel necessary.

The course aims to provide clinicians with the core knowledge and skills required to undertake a comprehensive assessment with a person accessing mental health and related specialised services. Focusing on the foundations of comprehensive assessment, formulation and planning for mental health, alcohol and other drugs service clinicians, the course is most suitable for clinicians in the early years of clinical practice or those wishing to refresh their skills.

Session one (four hours) utilises a case-based approach which steps participants through identifying and gathering relevant information for each component of the assessment.

Session two (four hours) utilises the case introduced in session one and draws upon learners’ clinical assessment of the case study. Learners are guided through the development and documentation of a clinical formulation and management plan.

More information about the course content including anticipated learning outcomes, can be found in the QC14 course handout: QC14 Fundamentals of Assessment, Formulation and Planning - Course handout

This 2.5 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.

The Acute Management Plan (AMP) is a concise clinical document that provides relevant, succinct information to clinicians working in acute care teams, emergency departments, and other entry points into mental health services.

As a clinician working in mental health it is important to know about cognitive functioning and how it can impact on day to day functioning. Cognitive deficits can significantly impact a person's ability to perform day to day tasks which can affect longer term recovery in areas such as work and relationships. This training 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. This course covers three core topics, Cognition, Assessment and Intervention. The eLearning course is self-paced and is targeted to nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, psychologists and medical staff working in mental health settings. The course is suitable for both experienced clinicians and those new to practice and takes approximately two (2) hours to complete.

Please note that this course makes reference to the Mental Health Act 2000. This course will be updated in due time to align with the Mental Health Act 2016.

Suicide Risk Assessment and Management in Emergency Department Settings (SRAM-ED) Foundational training is a blended learning course comprising of two eLearning modules and a face-to-face workshop. This course is designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of clinicians’ working in emergency department settings with patients who are at risk of suicide. The two eLearning modules are prerequisites to attending the face-to-face foundational workshop.

If you have not yet enrolled in the face-to-face workshop you will need to register your interest with your local trainer.

The Cultural Capability for Mental Health eLearning module aims to provide mental health clinicians with a better understanding of the cultural needs and social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The program embeds a recovery-focused, trauma-informed approach; identifies needs across the continuum of care, from emergency departments to community; and introduces participants to methods for applying a cultural lens in clinical practice, with an emphasis on culturally capable mental health assessment. This module gives you the basis to work on your life-long cultural learning journey.

The QC54 Foundations of Risk Assessment and Management eLearning course supports clinician understanding of the principles of risk assessment and management planning in mental health, alcohol and other drug services. This eLearning course steps learners through foundations of risk assessment and management and includes topics such as defining and identifying risk across six domains; communication, collaboration, and documentation; risk prevention orientation and planning care for risk mitigation. Learning is supported by interactive multimedia stimulus materials. The resource hub provides extensive information and tip sheets, research reviews, and links to guidelines, policies and support service websites. All materials are designed to assist learners upskilling in prevention-oriented risk assessment and response, and in developing and documenting management plans in line with current and emerging Queensland Health mental health, alcohol and other drug practice and standards. This course is suitable as complementary learning for the face to face course Critical Components of Risk Assessment and Management (QC9), however, is not a compulsory component of that course.

This eLearning is the pre-requisite course for both QC2: EARS and its youth specific counterpart (QC28: YEARS). In response to COVID-19 management plans which has temporarily shut down face-to-face training, the Learning Centre is currently making this online training available separate to the full courses. QC56 serves as an introductory course to orient learners to core clinical competencies and practices that align with the ‘train’ element of the Zero Suicide framework. It may be useful to any Mental Health, Alcohol of other Drug service providers.

Designed in collaboration with the Gold Coast Hospital and Health service, QC2 EARS and QC28 YEARS courses represent 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.

NOTE: if you have previously completed QC2 or QC28 blended training, you have already completed this eLearning. However, you might find it useful to complete this eLearning as a refresher if it has been 12 months or more since last participating.

Gold Coast Suicide Prevention Pathway Training is a blended learning course comprising of four eLearning modules and a full day face-to-face workshop. This course is designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of clinicians working in a Gold Coast Mental Health Service to support their work with patients at risk of suicide. This training also supports the implementation of the “Suicide Prevention Pathway”. The four eLearning modules take approximately 30 minutes each to complete and are pre-requisites to attending the face-to-face workshop. This training is a modification of the Suicide Risk Assessment and Management in Emergency Department Settings (SRAM-ED) training. The training in the first 3 modules will make reference to Emergency Departments, however the skills are transferable to all settings. Module 4 specifically addresses the Gold Coast Suicide Prevention Pathway.

This release includes updates to several of the existing CIMHA modules. New features and functionality have been included to ease use and improve functionality. Some of these new features include: Add a Diagnosis, Review a Diagnosis - Confirm existing Diagnosis, Review a Diagnosis - Supersede existing Diagnosis and Updating the Current Diagnosis using Outcomes.

This resource provides an overview of CYMHS philosophy and frameworks and addresses the first phase of Core Competency development in CYMHS in the areas of assessment, formulation and treatment planning. Each unit provides introductory theory via DVD presentations with accompanying PowerPoint notes and additional learning materials, including reflective exercises/clinical activities to consolidate learning.

Please note that this resource makes reference to the Mental Health Act 2000. This resource will be updated in due course to align with the Mental Health Act 2016.

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.