Check out Deakin's health and wellbeing calendar of events and get involved in various health and wellbeing initiatives and activities throughout the year. Have some fun while improving your health and raising awareness for many great causes.

You can book an appointment at the Deakin Medical Centres to discuss any health related issues.

• Deakin Burwood campus
• Deakin Geelong campus
• Deakin Warrnambool Campus
• Physiotherapy
• Counselling and Psychological Support
• Vaccinations
• Travel Health

The experience of mental illness in Australia is common, with one in five, or 20% of Australians aged 16–85 experiencing a mental illness in any one year. Relationships, participation at work and/or school and day to day functioning can all be impacted when a person is experiencing mental ill health. If you are struggling with any of these issues, there is plenty of mental health support available for you at Deakin University.

Getting help: essential resources (PDF 303KB) provides important information and referral services when you encounter a mental health crisis situation. Keep this document handy, particularly when teaching and on-campus. Included here is:

• Crisis Assessment Teams (CAT) who operate a 24 hour service providing urgent assessment, referral and short term treatment and intervention to people who are in psychiatric crisis
• suicide, mental health and psychological support services and organisations
• employment related contacts and support.

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Download Hints for working with staff and students (DOCX 17KB) with mental illness for quick guidelines.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training at Deakin

MHFA is the help provided to a person developing a mental health problem or in a mental health crisis. The first aid is given until appropriate professional treatment is received or until the crisis resolves.

It does not train you to be a therapist. Rather, this program teaches participants how to use an action plan to assess risk and provide support in the first instance in situations where either staff or students may be experiencing a mental health crisis. The course is conducted by staff from the Safer Community and Counselling Service.

Please register via Deakin People. Click on the Training tile and select DSL01—Mental Health First Aid Training. Please note that if you are a casual staff member, you will need to discuss this with your line manager and request that your line manager send an email to Karen Stuart with your full name, Staff ID number and what training sessions you wish to attend.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Deakin’s Employee Assistance Program offers all staff (including casuals) a voluntary, short-term, cost-free, confidential, professional counselling and referral service where staff are experiencing work-related and personal problems that are adversely affecting their work performance.

Mental Health Fact Sheets

• Anxiety (PDF 508KB)
• Depression (PDF 500KB)
• Psychotic disorders (PDF 475KB)
• Substance abuse and mental health (PDF 387KB)
• Suicide prevention (PDF 377KB)

The LGBTIQ+ Community is an alliance of people of diverse sexes, genders and sexualities all working together to create a positive University environment. The Network aims to:

• create a university culture that welcomes everyone
• provide a safe and inclusive environment for all staff and students
• promote awareness and understanding of issues affecting people of diverse sexes, genders and sexualities
• eliminate homophobia, transphobia and discrimination
• ensure that University policies and decisions are inclusive
• ensure that Deakin students participate in an education that appreciates and values people of all gender identities and sexual orientations
• actively participate in community events to celebrate Deakin’s diverse population.

VIDEO: Deakin says NO to homophobia

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Download video transcript Deakin says NO to homophobia (DOCX 16KB).

LGBTIQ resources

Deakin University recognises the importance of having a richly diverse student and staff community and the need to actively and positively support this diversity. We know that there are a wide range of unique challenges facing members of our community who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, or questioning their gender or sexuality (LGBTIQ or people of diverse sexualities and genders).

LGBTIQ resources provides a list of resources to support you during any challenges you may be facing and help you find the advice or assistance that you need.

Gender transition at Deakin: Information and resources supporting gender transition for Deakin staff and students. This includes the Deakin Gender Transition guide (PDF 608KB) and Gender Transition Procedure.

Health and Wellness coaching services are available to students and staff including:

• one-on-one coaching and wellness appointments available either face-to-face or via phone/Skype
• completion of a health assessment form
• goal setting for health focusing on areas such as quitting smoking, getting in shape, losing weight, managing stress and improving overall health
• providing support, ideas and strategies to achieve specific goals.

• Physical Activity provides a wealth of resources to help you become energised, reduce your risk of preventable illnesses, and also create new socialising opportunities

Deakin facilities

• Deakin Sports and Recreation
• YMCA—Burwood and Waurn Ponds on campus fitness centres.
• Global Corporate Challenge
• Geelong has a number of Swim Sport and Leisure centres that provide Deakin staff with a corporate discount. The Leisurelink Aquatic and Recreation Centre is conveniently located close to the Waurn Ponds campus. Just mention you are a Deakin employee when signing up for a membership.

Apps

• Deakin eWellbeing apps

Guidelines

• Australia's Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines (PDF 1.2MB)
• Heart Foundation - Workplace Wellness
• Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research (IPAN)
• Move more, Sit Less Heart Foundation (PDF 1.2MB)

Tools

• Remember to stand and stretch at work (PDF 525KB)
• Work break reminder tool (EXE 431KB)
• Ditch the Lift—Healthy Together Victoria poster (PDF 375KB)

Healthy eating at Deakin

• Deakin’s catering and food outlets
• Deakin Research in C-PAN spans basic metabolism and physiology, through clinical and behavioural studies, to community and population-based research.

Healthy eating choices and recipes

• YMCA provides Nutrition and Food Nutrition information including recipes, fact sheets, articles, free seminars and subscription to the online YMCA Healthy Living Magazine.
• Healthy Eating Catering Guide for Workplaces helps you can make a healthy choice when catering for work related functions. It’s a great way to promote healthier eating.
• Australian Guide to Healthy Eating
• Diabetes and healthy eating
• Heart Disease and food
• Healthy Eating Workplace poster (PDF 902KB)
• Take the H30 Challenge—switch sugary drinks to water for 30 days.

Useful Information

• Better Health Channel—Healthy eating tips
• Nutrition Australia
• Healthy eating quiz

Deakin is 'smoke-free'

As of 10 March 2014 Deakin became a smoke free University.

• Information for managers and supervisors
• Information for colleagues
• I want to quit
• Good reasons to quit
• Smoking Workplace poster (PDF 474KB)
• About Smoke-Free

Alcohol

• Alcohol and your body offers some helpful tips to help you have a responsible attitude to alcohol. Many Australians enjoy a social drink or a glass of wine with dinner. But excessive alcohol intake or drinking too often can increase the risk of alcohol-related disease or injury.