AROUND THE SCHOOL
Mental Health First Aid for Parents
Early in Term 1 the School’s Nurse Manager,
Vicki Bellinge presented Mental Health
First Aid training to a group of enthusiastic
parents and staff. The course was run over
four consecutive Tuesday evenings to cover
the 12-hour program.
This essential course teaches adults
how to provide initial support to young
people who are developing a mental
illness or experiencing a mental health
crisis. Course participants learn about the
signs and symptoms of the common and
disabling mental health problems, how to
provide initial help, where and how to get
professional help, what sort of help has been
shown by research to be effective, and how
to provide first aid in a crisis situation.
a mental illness so that they can get the
appropriate help. As a Mental Health First
Aider with the training I have learned
through the course I feel confident enough
to help someone if they are showing signs
of stress, anxiety or depression. I will use
the knowledge gained from the course
every day helping loved ones and the wider
community. I am now an Accredited Mental
Health First Aided, valid until 2019.
Linda: Firstly, can I say that the School, and
particularly our boys, are very lucky to have
Vicki Bellinge in our school community. I feel
very confident that if my son ever were to
need help he would be in very safe hands!
at setting a comfortable atmosphere for
learning and sharing experiences. A really
worthwhile course.
Feedback from some of our course
participants is below:
Tanya: I recently completed the four-week
Mental Health First Aid course run by Vicki
Bellinge. The course ran every Tuesday from
5.30-8.30pm for four weeks and focused on
a different mental health issue each week. I
found the whole course extremely interesting
and beneficial, particularly the third session
which focused on eating disorders and
anxiety. Several people close to me suffer
from both of these disorders and the course
gave me so many tips as to how I can
support these people and understand what
they are going through. Many primary and
secondary students suffer from anxiety today
and I found these sessions very relevant
and informative. I successfully passed the
assessment and received my accreditation,
which lasts for three years. Overall, I feel the
course was really beneficial and has given me
the skills to confidently help both adolescents
and adults suffering from mental health
disorders. The course has also allowed me
to recognise early warning signs of people
suffering from mental health issues, which is
one of the biggest benefits of this fantastic
course.
Karen: As a staff member at Guildford
Grammar Preparatory School I was offered a
place on the Mental Health First Aid course
run by Vicki Bellinge, our School Nurse. The
Mental Health First Aid Course was delivered
over four weeks, for three hours on a
Tuesday night. The course covers many real
life issues. I benefited a lot from the course
and training as I have some people close to
my heart who suffer from depression and bipolar disorder. I think early intervention and
awareness are very important to be able to
help someone if they are experiencing
This essential course
teaches adults
how to provide
initial support to
young people who
are developing a
mental illness or
experiencing a
mental health crisis.
Brett: Having two children in the Preparatory
School, I felt this course was important
to help prepare me for the coming years,
especially in regards to warning signs to be
on the lookout for.
I found the course content very interesting,
and information-rich. Vicki was a wonderful
presenter with an experienced and
engaging style, which helped to brin