Connecting Physical and Mental Health - Griffith

Connecting Physical and Mental Health equips mental health workers with vital strategies to improve the physical health of the people they work to support.

People living with mental health conditions have a reduced life expectancy of approximately 10 years compared to the general population. This is largely due to chronic physical diseases and higher rates of smoking, poor nutrition, harmful alcohol consumption, physical inactivity and poor sleep behaviours.

This one-day course explores key risks to health and introduces effective ways to share this information with people with lived experience of mental health.

What you will learn

To enable community service workers to:

• be aware of health issues facing people they may support
• appreciate the barriers faced by people experiencing persistent mental health conditions
• reflect on their own assumptions
• be aware of general healthy behaviours
• create relationships and environments that build respectful discussions around supporting physical and mental good health.

On completion of the Connecting Physical and Mental Health workshop, participants will be better able to:

• understand some of the health issues facing people with persistent mental health conditions
• understand the effects of some medication
• appreciate some contributing factors and barriers in people’s lives
• self-reflect on their own assumptions and biases
• appreciate general healthy behaviours
• build respectful discussions around supporting physical and mental good health

Who should enrol

• Mental Health Workers
• Alcohol and Other Drugs workers
• Employment sector workers
• Community services workers