A NEW mental health training program aims to tackle the Wimmera’s depression and anxiety rates.
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Wimmera Primary Care Partnership will run eight mental health first aid training courses throughout the region from this week.
The courses aim to ensure three to five per cent of Wimmera people are trained to help people with a mental illness.
The region’s Seasonal Conditions Committee established the initiative after it identified the need for a mental health program in the Wimmera last year.
Spokesman Geoff Witmitz said 11 people were trained as mental health first aid instructors.
He said the instructors would now run other courses throughout the Wimmera, with the first course starting on Tuesday.
Mr Witmitz said course places were filling fast.
“We have many sessions already booked out,” he said.
“People have recognised the benefits of having these skills to respond to people in need.
“We need more people in the community who can recognise the signs of mental health issues.”
Mr Witmiz said the courses would train people to look for early warning signs of mental health issues and teach them how to chat with people who were having trouble.
“When a crisis does occur, we want people to have the skills to deal with that situation,” he said.
“It is another tool to help keep our community well.”
Mr Witmitz said there was a waiting list for the course and more sessions would run later in the year.
He said the many Wimmera agencies had put money towards the program.
“We’ve now got a sustainable way of rolling out training, and we want to get three to five per cent of the population trained,” he said.
There are two courses – a youth course designed for adults wanting to help young people, and a standard course for adults wanting to help other adults.
Courses are open to anyone over 18. The state government has subsidised the course costs.
Courses will be in Horsham Nhill, Rainbow, Jeparit, Edenhope, Warracknabeal, Kaniva and Hopetoun.
Goolum Goolum Aboriginal Co-operative staff member Felicity Johns is a youth instructor.
She said the statistics for mental illness were frightening. “We will only be short-changing ourselves if we don’t use this course to our best advantage,” she said.