Frequently Asked Questions

• SMEs are classified as those with 1-199 employees, including sole traders. 
• Business advice is defined as advice/guidance provided by an external (or in-house) adviser that supports the management and operations of a SME business, for the purposes of reducing/managing financial stress. 

No, participants need to sign up for the full program. This is because: 

• Whilst some of you may have completed MHFA™ previously, a) it is an MHFA™ requirement to re-new your accreditation every 3 years, and b) the module you completed may differ to the MHFA™ for financial services professionals module (which is what is offered via CoU in Aus) or the MHFA™ for workplaces module (what is offered via CoU in NZ). 
• Counting on U is both a training and research program, and in order for us to measure the research activities, participants must have completed the full program. 
• The two booster sessions are a continuation of what was learnt in both the relationship building (RBT) and MHFA™ sessions. 

Allow a total time commitment of between 12-14 hours, spread across 4 months:

• 5 hours of self-paced online elearning/pre-course reading (Compulsory, must be completed prior to first MHFA™ session)
• 2 hours Relationship Building Training (if you are selected for this group) – live Zoom
• 2 x 2.5 hours Mental Health First Aid® (MHFA™) Training – live Zoom
• 2 x 1 hour Booster Sessions – live Zoom (not optional, and required to receive full CPD points for members of CPA/CAANZ/IPA/ICB/FPA).

*New Zealand participants please note: due to CoU being in pilot phase in New Zealand, minor components of the program may reference Australian business contexts (e.g. instead of PAYE, role play videos may refer to PAYG; the temporary digital MHFA™ manual you are supplied with is the Australia version whilst the hard copy you will also receive for free, is the MHFA™ Aotearoa version). Please be assured that this does not impact the main content or outcomes of the program – this being to learn skills around trusting client relationships and mental health literacy. 

Depending on whether you are allocated to the partial research or full research programs, you will be asked to complete two OR three research surveys respectively: prior to commencing training, during the first booster session, and 2 months following completion of all training. These surveys ask about your relationship with your small business clients and your knowledge of mental health before and after training. 

Some participants will also be requested to invite 1 to 2 of their SME clients to participate in the program by completing 3 short surveys (this is optional). SME client participation helps us evaluate the effectiveness of your training on the end-user. SMEs surveys are to be completed and the beginning of the program, 6 and 12 months later. The first 900 SMEs to register will be incentivised with a $25 e-gift voucher for every survey they complete. 

Finally, we may also reach out to a small sub-set of participants and their SME clients for 1:1 interviews (again, this is optional). All interviewees will be incentivised with e-gift vouchers ranging from $50 – $100 depending on type of interview. 

If you are in the full research program, you are randomised into one of two arms; both include Mental Health First Aid® training and 2 Booster sessions. One of the arms includes the additional Relationship Building training. You will complete 3 research surveys, and we ask that you consider inviting 1-2 of your SME clients to participate in the study. A small sub-set of participants and SME clients in this arm may also be asked to participate in an interview (optional). 

If you are in the partial research program, there is no SME client participation or interviews, and all participants completes both Relationship Building Training and Mental Health First Aid® training plus Boosters. You also only complete 2 research surveys instead of 3. 

Unfortunately, no. There is a research component to Counting on U that aims to assess whether there is an additional benefit for doing Relationship Building Training and Mental Health First Aid® (MHFA™) training and in order to do that, we need another group who completes MHFA™ alone. For research quality purposes, we can’t undo the group you have been randomly allocated to. However, we are able to send a recording of the Relationship Building Training to you, once all training and surveys (for both yourself and your SME clients, if you have invited them) have been completed. 

Unfortunately, no. CoU is both a training and research program, and in order for us to measure the research activities, participants must have completed the full program. If you would like to complete the stand-alone MHFA™ course, please head to www.mhfa.com.au, where you will be able to book and pay for MHFA™ training sessions. 

If you’d like to participate in the CoU program, then yes, you are required to complete the CoU MHFA™ module because: 

• The MHFA™ course you previously completed may have components that differ to the MHFA™ for financial services professionals module being taught via CoU. 
• CoU is both a training and research program, and in order for us to measure the research activities, participants must have completed the full program. 
• The two booster sessions are a continuation of what was learnt in both RBT and MHFA™. 

There are no exams. As part of receiving MHFA™ accreditation, you will be asked to answer a few online quizzes as part of completing the MHFA™ elearning module. After completing the elearning as well as the two MHFA™ Zoom workshops, you can complete an online Accreditation Assessment to become an Accredited Mental Health First Aider. 

Members of CPA/CAANZ/IPA/ICB/NZQBA: CPD points are a self-managed/recorded process – per the usual methods when practitioners record their CPD hours. 

Members of FPA: Deakin will email CPD certificates to you half yearly – once in early Dec and once in early June, to coincide with your CPD deadlines. If you’ve completed all core training and booster sessions by early Dec then you’ll receive one certificate with the 13.25 CPD points allocated in the relevant FASEA categories. If you’ve only completed core training by then, you’ll receive two certificates – one in Dec for the hours you’ve completed to date, and one in June for the remaining hours you’ve completed. 

You will receive notification from MHFA™ to download a digital copy of your MHFA™ accreditation certificate. You can also download a digital badge which can be used on LinkedIn. 

If you are a member of the FPA, you will also separately receive a CPD certificate from Deakin.

Yes – the online eLearning component takes approximately 5 hours and must be completed prior to starting one of the two Instructor led sessions. Please factor this time in when you are scheduling your sessions. 

Please set enough time aside to complete your 5 hours of e-learning before you attend your first MHFA™ Zoom workshop (you don’t have to have completed this prior to attending the RBT workshop). We understand that from time-to-time urgent matters come up and you may not have been able to complete the e-learning prior to the first instructor-led MHFA™ Zoom session. Deakin pays for each session in advance, at no cost to participants, and would like avoid last-minute cancellations which could impact viability of running sessions and reduces the learning experience for those attending if there’s too few participants. 

If you are unable to finish your eLearning prior to the workshop, please contact Amy Guest in Australia ([email protected]) or Humanex in New Zealand ([email protected]) to reschedule your MHFA™  workshops at a later date – but note that this is based on availability of alternate sessions and may have a consequence on your subsequent Booster session dates. 

Australian participants: 

There will be a section within your program email confirmation sent by our training vendor, Mentally Well Workplaces, requesting you to fill in your mailing address if you’d like an optional hard copy manual to keep. Please note that you will receive access to a temporary digital version, but only for the duration of the course. Hard copy manuals are organised and shipped to participants’ mailing addresses by Mental Health First Aid® (MHFA™). Due to current delays with Australia Post’s parcel service, please allow between 2-3 weeks’ shipping time from when you provide your address to our training vendor (Mentally Well Workplaces). This applies to both metro and regional addresses. 

New Zealand participants: 

There will be a section within your program email confirmation sent by our training vendor, Humanex, requesting you to fill in your mailing address to receive a hard copy manual. All NZ participants will receive a hard copy manual which includes NZ-specific statistics and helplines, whilst the temporary digital manual will be an Australian version with Australia-specific statistics and helplines. Hard copy manuals are organised and shipped to participants’ mailing address by our training vendor, Humanex. Please allow approximately 3-5 days’ shipping time. 

• having your computer on to see the Zoom trainer’s screen whilst also logging in via your phone, so that the trainer can see and hear you and ensure our duty of care
• hot-spotting Wifi from your mobile phone.

Getting help as early as possible is important if you’re worried about your own mental health. The sooner you get help and treatment, the quicker you’ll start to recover. 

The first step is to visit your General Practitioner who will conduct an initial mental health assessment. Your doctor may then create a treatment plan to help you work out what services you need, set goals and decide on the best treatment options for you. 

You can also call the following numbers to speak to a trained professional who can support you until you’re able to make an appointment with your GP: 

AUSTRALIA 

• Lifeline – 13 11 14 
• Suicide Call-back – 1300 659 467 
• Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636 

NEW ZEALAND 

• Free call or text 1737 for support from a trained counsellor 
• Lifeline – 0800 543 354 or free text 4357 (HELP) 

Deakin Counting on U Program Team: [email protected] 

OR 

The Human Research Ethics Office, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood Victoria 3125, Telephone: 03 9251 7129, Email: [email protected]. Please quote project number [2020-399].