CMHL proudly continues to coordinate the only statewide program of training for allied health graduates and practitioners transitioning to the Victorian mental health clinical workforce.
AH ELTS is open to allied health clinicians of all disciplines who are in their first two years of employment in a clinical mental health role. Allied health educators who are employed to support entry-level clinicians are also encouraged to attend.
CMHL has coordinated AH ELTS since 2020, and since then there has been a significant increase in demand, with registrations for 2023 events averaging 146 participants. The large number of participants in combination with an online mode of delivery has required us to make adaptations to how this program is designed and delivered.
Facilitated training sessions
In 2023, AH ELTS is offering 7 half days of facilitated online learning featuring expert trainers from across Victoria’s mental health system delivering training on topics selected based on identified priority learning areas including;
- The Victorian Mental Health Act (2014)
- Introduction to the Victorian Mental Health System
- Medications and Physical Health
- Working with Families and Carers
- Culturally Responsive Practice for Mental Health Professionals
- Dual Diagnosis - Integrated Care for Mental Health and Substance Use
- Family violence, mental health and the safe inclusion of family and carers
Clinicians can register for as few or as many events as they choose. Registrations can be made via this link Statewide Allied Health Entry Level Training Series 2023 | CMHL
In addition to the facilitated sessions, CMHL has employed an allied health educator who is collaborating with service-based allied health educators and is developing resources for educators to run complimentary sessions within their service.
Educator-led Session Resources
CMHL is embracing the opportunity to develop resources to support the delivery of training by allied health educators within services intended to contextualize and extend the learning from each of the facilitated sessions. These resources include session plans, PowerPoints, teaching and learning activities, and a comprehensive list of additional reading and training opportunities. These resources have been designed with contemporary theories of learning in mind to assist entry-level clinicians in progressing their learning from knowledge to comprehension and application. These sessions also provide an opportunity for service-based educators to assess the individual learning needs of participants within their services.
Allied Health Educator Meetings
CMHL is convening monthly 2 hours meeting with service-based allied health educators who are supporting allied health graduates and transition to mental health clinicians. The purpose of these meetings is to;
- Provide an opportunity for connection, collaboration, peer learning, and resource sharing
- Discuss the learning objectives and content for the upcoming facilitated session
- Provide an overview of the session plan, learning objectives, and teaching and learning activities developed for the upcoming educator-led sessions and insights into learning theory which underpinned the design of these
- Seek feedback regarding the previous facilitated session and resources provided for educator-led sessions
- Scope the learning needs of the allied health educators to guide decisions on priority areas for professional development sessions
Allied Health Educator Professional Development Sessions
To further support the capacity building of service-based allied health educators, a number of education-focused professional development sessions will be facilitated throughout the year. The content for these sessions will be guided by the learning needs of the educator group. These sessions will focus on evidence-based educational theory and practice in a clinical context.
Evaluation - Supporting the Development of Allied Health Educators
The 2023 AH ELTS was evaluated to help understand the impacts of the educator supports provided through the program on educators' skills, practices and wellbeing. This evaluation is summarised in the 2023 AH ELTS Evaluation Report
Updates
8/3/2023 - The first session of the 2023 AH ELTS on the Victorian Mental Health Act (2014) was facilitated by Kylie Boucher (CMHL Senior Lead) on 7th March 2023. This half-day online event was attended by 118 participants, from 16 mental health services representing 6 allied health disciplines. The learning objectives for this session focused on developing an understanding of the purpose and overarching principles of the Act, how to apply sections of the Act that are relevant to the practice of allied health clinicians and exploration of the Act in relation to how it impacts on human rights. The session included a guest presentation by Ellisa Scott from the Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA) service. Overall, it was an informative and thought-provoking session with good engagement from participants via online tools throughout. We are looking forward to facilitating session 2 on the Victorian Mental Health System on 4th April 2023. You can register via this link https://cmhl.org.au/statewide-allied-health-entry-level-training-series-2023
5/4/2023 - The second session of the 2023 AH ELTS on the Victorian Mental Health System was facilitated by Jeff Weitzel (CMHL Learning and Practice Development Coordinator) on 4th April 2023. This half-day online event was attended by 117 participants, from 15 mental health services representing 8 allied health disciplines. The learning objectives for this session focused on identifying key documents that guide mental health practice in Victoria and Australia, describing the roles of the various professionals who work in the mental health sector, developing an understanding of how mental health services are structured and how they interact, and to develop an awareness of specialist services and peak bodies across the state. The session included a guest presentation by Tim Twining from Frankston Mental Health and Wellbeing Local about the process of setting up this new service. Overall, the session covered a broad range of content and provided a great foundation for understanding the Victorian Mental Health system. Participants engaged with the facilitators and each other through the use of online tools. We are looking forward to facilitating session 3 on Medications in Mental Health on 9th May 2023. You can register via this link https://cmhl.org.au/statewide-allied-health-entry-level-training-series-2023
10/5/2023 - The third session of the 2023 AH ELTS on Medications in Mental Health was facilitated by Jake Bromley and Michelle Hooper, Senior Pharmacists from Alfred Mental Health and Addiction Health on 9th May 2023. This half-day online event was attended by 108 participants, from 16 mental health services representing 8 allied health disciplines. The learning objectives for this session focused on developing knowledge about different classes of psychotropic medications including their primary actions, indications, common side effects, and exploration of how these can be managed. The session also explored medication compliance, addiction, pharmacy labels, scheduling of medicines, opioid replacement therapy, how medications interact with illicit substances, and ECT. Participants were actively engaged throughout the session and posed a number of considered questions which resulted in further exploration of a range of topics. We are looking forward to facilitating session 4 on Working Together with Families and Carers on 6th June 2023. You can register via this link https://cmhl.org.au/statewide-allied-health-entry-level-training-series-2023
7/6/2023 - The fourth session of the 2023 AH ELTS on Working with Families and Carers was facilitated by Jen Bité and Andrew Tomlinson from Tandem on 6th June 2023. This half-day online event was attended by 115 participants, from 15 mental health services representing 7 allied health disciplines. The learning objectives for this session were based on the Victorian Chief Psychiatrist’s Guideline on Working Together with Families and Carers and focused on understanding the importance of involving families and friends in assessment, treatment, care, and recovery, exploration of how and when to involve families and friends, and open, safe and effective communication and information sharing. Participants were encouraged to reflect on their experiences of working with families and carers and engaged in the session via breakout room activities and online tools. We are looking forward to facilitating session 5 on Culturally Responsive Practice for Mental Health Professionals on 8th August 2023. You can register via this link https://cmhl.org.au/statewide-allied-health-entry-level-training-series-2023
29/8/2023 - The fifth session of the 2023 AH ELTS on Culturally Responsive Practice for Mental Health Professionals was facilitated by Ine Damo, Naomi Chapman, and Natasha Rajagopalan from Victorian Transcultural Mental Health on 8th August 2023. This half-day online event was attended by 99 participants, from 13 mental health services representing 8 allied health disciplines. The learning objectives for this session were based on concepts and frameworks with underpin culturally safe and responsive care, including human rights, culture, identity, intersectionality, and cultural humility. The session provided an overview of conceptual models that support culturally responsive practice and introduced learners to the Cultural Formulation Interview and how this tool can be used to inform assessment and treatment. We are looking forward to facilitating session 6 on Dual Diagnosis - Integrated Care for Mental Health and Substance Use on 12th September 2023. You can register via this link https://cmhl.org.au/statewide-allied-health-entry-level-training-series-2023
26/6/2023 - the sixth session of the 2023 AH ELTS on Dual Diagnosis - Integrated Care for Mental Health and Substance Use was facilitated by Kevan Myers and Cathryn Lester from Nexus, and Jane Moreton from VAADA on 12th September 2023. This half-day online event was attended by 101 participants, from 13 mental health services, representing 7 allied health disciplines. This session aimed to highlight the prevalence and provide an overview of approaches to supporting people with co-occurring mental health and substance use issues (dual diagnosis), including an introduction to several tools designed to enhance therapeutic conversations and treatment planning. The session also provided an overview of the Victorian AOD Service System and how to work with this sector. We are looking forward to delivering session 7 on Family Violence on 10th October 2023. This session will be facilitated by representatives from the Victorian network of Specialist Family Violence Advisors. You can register via this link https://cmhl.org.au/statewide-allied-health-entry-level-training-series-2023
12/10/2023 - the final session of the 2023 AH ELTS on Family violence, mental health, and the safe inclusion of family and carers was facilitated by Courtney Lucanto and Abbey Newman, from the Victorian Network of Specialist Family Violence Advisors on 10 October 2023. This half-day online event was attended by 93 participants, from 13 mental health services, representing 6 allied health disciplines. The session supported participants to develop and challenge their understanding of the connection between family violence and mental health and develop practical knowledge and opportunity to explore of how this can be applied to identify family violence when engaging with family and carers. We are looking forward to delivering AH ELTS in 2024. Information about session dates, topics, and how to register will be available in the coming weeks.
12/04/2023 - the 2023 AH ELTS was evaluated to help understand the impacts of the educator supports provided through the program on educators' skills, practices and wellbeing. This evaluation is summarised in the 2023 AH ELTS Evaluation Report
