Council Sponsors Mental Health Training Workshop
Published on 17 June 2020
Snowy Valleys Council is partnering with Man Anchor to host a free online training workshop to help improve knowledge and understanding of mental health disorders and how it affects people every day.
The Communication with Care workshops empowers participants to develop the core skills and a deeper understanding of how to identify, listen and support someone they are concerned about or may be in crisis.
Mayor James Hayes said Council recognises that there will be an ongoing and heavier mental health cost due to the COVID-19 pandemic at a time when local people are still recovering and healing from the bushfires.
“We are proud to be supporting this initiative and I encourage people who may be working with or supporting vulnerable people to take advantage of this free opportunity to learn more about how to support their own wellbeing and that of the wider community,” said Clr Hayes.
According to Man Anchor, one in five Australians aged 16-85 experience a mental illness in any year and suicide is the leading cause of death in males aged between 16-44.
Workshop participants will learn how to connect, communicate and approach people confidently to ask the tricky and often deeper questions, building trust in their own ability to provide help.
Man Anchor is a grass roots mental health and wellbeing movement that started in 2017 with hope of educating the community with the tools to kick start positive conversations around mental health. They have delivered to well over 2,000 people across the program’s portfolio which includes Mental Health First Aid, Communication with Care and the Let’s Talk Workshop.
Council’s Executive Director Community and Corporate Paul Holton said, “Council’s community development team continues to work with organisations like Man Anchor, Gotcha 4Life and Tomorrow Man to identify resources and strategies to assist building community and individual resilience”.
The five hour workshop has spaces for up to 15 people and will take place on-line over two sessions; Monday 13 July 2020 and Monday 20 July 2020 from 6:30pm to 9:00pm.
For further information about the workshop and to register your interest please contact Council’s Community Development Officer Mark Mazzini on 6941 2543 or [email protected]