Overview
Recognising and responding to a person with mental health concerns is everyone’s role.
This self-paced course is comprised of 10 interactive learning modules focused on the recognising and responding to a person who is experiencing mental health distress. Nurses and allied health professionals will be supported to learn how to build a therapeutic relationship to enable assessment and tailored interventions for consumer, their carers and families. The thread of the modules aligns with understanding worldviews related to mental health and differing of perspectives, including consumer and carers in order to support people experiencing mental ill - health.
Learners are engaged through video, case studies, simulation and self-assessment activities which enhance and reinforce learning.
Designed For
The course is designed to support allied health and registered nurses who will be caring for people in non-mental health settings.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the 10 modules and case studies learners will be able to:
- Demonstrate a comprehensive approach to the initial assessment and management of a person with mental illness
- Use a therapeutic relationship tp engage with the person and their carers and family to plan care
- Demonstrate an understanding of the service responses available to people with mental ill-health and or substance use
Course Units
Completion of the 10 modules totals 15 hours of study and assessments.
- Introduction to mental health and mental ill-health
- Understanding worldviews & perspectives; and exploring mental health disorders
- Building a therapeutic relationship
- Working alongside peer workers with lived and living experiences (consumer , carer, family and supporters)
- Comprehensive mental health assessment
- Understanding the components of the mental state examination (MSE)
- The concept of risk
- Working with people who use substances
- Principles of mental health practice
- Self-care for life!
Assessment
Learners are engaged through video, case studies, simulation and self-assessment activities which enhance and reinforce learning.
Delivery Mode
Course completion requires approximately 15 hours of e-learning. This course is delivered online and students can study in their own time and location
Course Directors
Dr Cathy Daniel
RPN, BPsychNurs, PGDipN (MtlHlth) MN, PhD, CMHN, GCertUniTeach
Cathy has over 30 years’ experience working in mental health nursing and is a senior lecturer and coordinator of Mental Health Nursing at the University of Melbourne. Cathy has maintained a senior clinical role in Consultation Liaison Psychiatry while completing Masters in Research minimising restraint and a PhD exploring violence risk screening at ED triage.
Elizabeth Currie
Mental Health Nurse
Elizabeth has been working as a mental health nurse since 1993 and has over 10 years experience teaching both undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students mental health. She is passionate about reducing mortality and morbidity associated with co-morbidities, such as diabetes across all age groups. She also has an interest in social anxiety in young people.
Jess McKenzie
Consumer Academic
I have a Social Science background and work casually as an Academic (Consumer Perspective) at the University of Melbourne and as Consumer Consultant within an Adult Area Mental Health Service. My interests in 'Mental Health Consumer Culture' and 'Stigmatisation' have been deeply inspired by my lived experience of substance abuse, addiction, and homelessness in the private and public sector. I have gained insight into the perspectives and experiences of mental health clinicians to better understand the history and culture of the consumer-clinician relationship. I am very passionate about working collaboratively with Clinicians, Carers, Families, to work toward a cultural change that is focused on preventative care above crisis-centred care, moving away from acute inpatient settings and back into the community.
Carmen Ludeman
Carer Academic
My lived experience with mental health includes a maternal Grandmother and adult child with severe mental illness, and AoD and not unusual, dealing with 'family secrets and inherited shame' relating to mental illness in a family.
My multidisciplinary studies (biopsychosocial) in a BHSci Degree (Gerontology) completed in 2006, including other formal and informal learnings have informed my worldview about the importance of one's individual 'recovery' journey.
I am passionate about debunking AOD stigma, the importance of acceptance, self-compassion, mental health and well being.
Ailish Gill
RPN, MCAT
Ailish is a registered psychiatric nurse, creative arts therapist, and an academic with many years of experience in mental health clinical practice and tertiary education in Australia. She also had a leading role in Health Service funded research projects and e-learning initiatives in mental health in Ireland.
Beth Kruck
Master of Advanced Nursing Practice
Beth has 13 years' experience working in mental health nursing. She completed her Master of Advanced Nursing Practice-Mental Health through University of Melbourne in 2020. Beth has worked in a range of contexts including metropolitan, rural, remote, and off-shore; and she has worked in a range of acute adult mental health treatment teams including inpatient, emergency mental health, CATT, acute response, PACER, and case management. Beth is passionate about all Australian's having equitable access to timely, effective, safe, and evidence based mental health care.
Contact Us
E: mobile-learning@unimelb.edu.au
T: +61 3 8344 5673