Professional Development and Training

ASIST is the world’s leading suicide intervention workshop. It supports people to learn how to apply a suicide intervention model by helping caregivers recognise when someone may be at risk of suicide. It explores how to connect with a person at risk to understand and increase their immediate safety as well as linking them with further help. Over 80,000 people in Australia have attended ASIST; a program first developed in 1983 and has continued to evolve to reflect improvements in knowledge and practice. Over this 2 day, interactive session, participants learn to intervene and help prevent the immediate risk of suicide.  Internationally recognised, this course has been used by professionals in the areas of mental health, education, health care and military services.

To provide a framework for recognising and responding to domestic and family violence, for the purpose of knowledge and skills development in recognising the difference between coercive control and other forms of domestic and family violence, assessing, and responding to risk, identifying patterns of behaviour and attitude that that might indicate a shift in the user of coercive control’s thought from control to homicide/suicide.

What you'll learn
What is your organisations policy and procedure around risk assessment and response to indicators of coercive control? What is our duty of care?

• Coercive Control – how do we recognise coercive control in our clients’ stories and in observations of client behaviour
• Why is it so important that we can recognise and respond to coercive control
• What has strangulation got to do with coercive control

This workshop will include a power point presentation and group activities. Some reading of documents will be required. Larger documents will be sent out to registered participants prior to the event. All documents will be included in the workbook on the day.

For: Professionals and students who are working or are studying to work with people who are impacted by domestic and family violence as both aggrieved and respondents.

Time Commitment: 1 Day

Participants per session: 16 - 20

Have you ever wondered why it seems so difficult to talk with some people and so easy to talk with others? Can you recall a situation in which you met someone for the first time and immediately liked that person? Something about the individual made you feel comfortable. You may have had this experience when you started a new job or joined a sporting team.

A major goal of this workshop is to help you understand the impact your communication style has on the impression others form of you. The workshop also provides you with information you will need to cope effectively in the workplace, which is characterised by great diversity and emphasis on teamwork.

Specific learning outcomes include:

• Understand the concept of a communication style and its effect on interpersonal relations
• Understand the major elements of the Communication Style Model
• Identify your preferred communication style
• Improve communication with others through style flexing

Mental Health First Aid Courses are based on guidelines developed through the expert consensus of people with lived experience of mental health problems and mental health professionals.

MHFA courses teach participants about the signs and symptoms of mental health literacy and teach the practical skills needed to support someone experiencing a mental health problem, experiencing a worsening of an existing mental health problem or in a mental health crisis until appropriate professional help is received or the crisis resolves.

Mental Health First Aid training course participants also learn about the types of help and supports available and how to help someone access the support they need.

Learn Practical First Aid Skills

• Recognise common mental health problems
• Provide initial help using a practical, evidence-based Action Plan
• Seek appropriate professional help, and
• Respond in a crisis situation

For: Anyone over the age of 18

Time Commitment: 2 x 6-hour sessions over 2 days

Participants per session: Recommended up to 20 per session

Conflict is a normal and inevitable aspect of any workplace. Centacare NQ recognises that not all conflict is bad and can be important for the agency as it can inspire creativity and promote awareness.  It is preferable that most conflicts be resolved to the reasonable satisfaction of all involved and wherever possible not escalate and impact negatively in the workplace.

Centacare NQ promotes the proactive management of conflict to be dealt with at an early stage.  The process of resolving conflict can lead to creative growth in the workplace.  Effective conflict resolution can make the difference between positive and negative outcomes.  

Resolving conflict successfully can solve many of the problems brought to the surface by conflict, as well as achieving benefits you may not expect such as increased understanding of the issue, increase group cohesion when conflict is resolved positively and improved self-knowledge of their own goals and what is important.

This training outlines strategies to:

• Identify and manage conflicts early
• By those most directly affected
• At the lowest and most informal way possible
• With third parties to the dispute becoming involved only after attempts to resolve the conflict have been made without success.

At the conclusion of the training staff should feel more equipped and confident to manage their conflicts more proactively. Additionally, line managers should feel better equipped to support and guide staff in different conflict resolution strategies.

The Youth Mental Health First Aid course teaches participants how to provide initial support to a young person (aged 12-18) who may be experiencing a mental health problem or mental health crisis, until professional help is received, or the crisis resolves.

What you'll learn
Learn how to apply mental health first aid to young people across a range of common mental health problems and crisis situations, including:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Psychosis
• Substance use problems
• Suicidal thoughts and behaviours
• Panic Attacks
• Non suicidal self-injury

For: Adults who work with children and Parents with teenagers

Time Commitment: 2 Days

Participants per session: maximum 20