Local Residents Embrace Mental Health Training

More than 1,100 residents across the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury, Lithgow and Penrith areas have received mental health training to support people in crisis.

The training is funded by Wentworth Healthcare, provider of the Nepean Blue Mountains Primary Health Network, as part of the Federal Government’s response to the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires. The skills learnt are helping ordinary community members respond appropriately when they find themselves supporting people in distress or crisis.  

Multiple disasters including the bushfires, floods and COVID-19 have meant that many people have found themselves having unplanned difficult conversations with people about their wellbeing. 

Wentworth Healthcare CEO, Lizz Reay, said “After the 2019/20 Black Summer Bushfires, we consulted with our community members and stakeholders to understand how to support our communities and our frontline workers. It revealed a great need for further training, particularly in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), Accidental Counsellor and Trauma Informed Care.”   

“To address these needs, we engaged Lifeline Central West to deliver Accidental Counsellor Courses across the region, including Yamayamarra Aboriginal Accidental Counsellor, a specialised course to understand how to better support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The courses teach community members and recovery workers appropriate ways to identify and respond to someone who may be experiencing distress or crisis and refer them to additional support,” she said. 

“Yamayamarra also highlights the importance of understanding cultural backgrounds and beliefs while supporting someone in need.”   

Lifeline Central West’s Recognise, Respond and Refer training focuses on increasing the skills needed to respond effectively to people in their community. This means that the community can continue to support each other, long after recovery workers and disaster support services leave the area. 

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