Not only will you learn how to recognise the signs and symptoms of mental health problems and learn the skills to feel confident and able to help, but you will also be donating to a mental charity in the process - a win-win!

Around 1 in 5 Australian adults experience a common mental illness each year. Having mental health first aid skills means that you can assist someone developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis and make a real difference to your community.

Letters of Hope Founder, Abbie Williams, is an Accredited Mental Health First Aid® Instructor in Australia and is able to deliver: 2-day Standard Mental Health First Aid Training, Blended Online Workplace Mental Health First Aid Training and Blended Online Community Mental Health First Aid Training.

Click here to learn more and read testimonials, or contact us via the form to book a private Mental Health First Aid course.

In this session, which can be delivered virtually or face-to-face, Letter of Hope’s founder, Abbie Williams, talks about her personal experience with mental health and how she has turned her struggle into her superpower.

Abbie has suffered with Anxiety and Depression, and has done so since her teens. When things were at their worst, Abbie didn’t know if that dark feeling would ever really pass.

Luckily, this is when Abbie looked for support and help. She slowly built the support network back up that she had isolated herself from and soon enough, found a way to live a meaningful and fulfilling life whilst managing her mental health condition. Although Abbie knew that anxiety and depression would likely be something that she would always have to live with, she started to realise that, with the right support, she could find ways to manage it to stop it from impacting her day-to-day life.

After growing up in Leeds in the United Kingdom, Abbie moved to Australia in 2017. Living on the other side of the world, Abbie’s grandparents naturally became her pen pals. She would anticipate receiving another letter in the mail and the rush of happiness that came when she received one after a tough day was amazing. It was then that Abbie decided she wanted to use the empathy and passion that she gained through her own mental health journey to do something positive for other people, and give them that same feeling.

Alongside running Letters of Hope, Abbie is a Mental Health First Aid instructor and in 2022, Abbie was selected as 1 of 5 Australian Representatives in the A2ELP Emerging Leaders Program for Social Entrepreneurs.

Delivered virtually or in-person.

When life gets busy, we often fall victim to putting our wellbeing on the back burner.

The irony is, the small things that we do each way to strengthen our coping strategies and boost our overall wellbeing are the very things that prevent us from reaching the tipping point.

In this session, we explore realistic, practical, easy-to-implement techniques to support positive mental health and wellbeing.

This session covers:

• Self-care and what it means beyond the buzzword

• The importance of ‘filling your own cup’

• Resilience and how our resilience levels can impact our mental health

• The relationship between stress and performance

• Stress management techniques and approaches that you can implement day-to-day

As part of this session, participants will be provided with a Wellbeing Workbook summarising key techniques and learnings, including activities that they can practice each day to foster positive mental health and wellbeing.

This session is designed to build mental health awareness and reduce stigma within your organisation and can be delivered in-person or virtually.

This session covers:

• Current state of play of mental health in Australia

• The importance of a mentally healthy workplace (including the relevant legislation)

• Signs & symptoms of a mental health concern

• How to start a mental health conversation with someone you are concerned about

• How you can signpost someone you are concerned about to professional help

• Proactive ways to take care of your mental health (including self care)

• Mental health support contacts and resources

All participants will receive a Mental Health Awareness Kit as part of the session, giving them a tangible summary of their learnings, self care activities and an outline of support avenues.

Empower the managers and leaders within your organisation to promote a mentally healthy work environment and take care of their teams and can be delivered in-person or virtually.

This session covers:

• Current state of play of mental health in Australia, including from a workplace perspective

• Workplace mental health impact including absenteeism, cost and turnover

• Signs & symptoms of a mental health concern

• How to start a conversation with a team member that you are concerned about

• Using a Wellbeing Action Plan (WAP) to structure these conversations

• Psychological safety and what to do in high-risk mental health incidents

• Performance management and mental health

• How to influence a wellbeing culture within your team

All participants will receive a Mental Health for Managers Kit as part of the session, giving them a tangible summary of their learnings and useful tools and templates to leverage when embedding a wellbeing culture within their team.

Already have something in mind? Get in touch as we would love to work with you and develop a bespoke virtual or in-person mental health training offering for your workplace.