The Working Mind
Better Conversations. Stronger Teams. Healthier Workplaces
The Working Mind is evidence-based mental health training for employees and leaders.
The Working Mind program promotes mental health awareness, reduces stigma, and builds workplace resilience. Participants learn to recognize mental health changes, have open conversations, and develop coping and stress-management skills, creating supportive and psychologically safe workplaces.
Developed by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, The Working Mind is an internationally recognised program. It is widely embraced by organisations seeking to understand, manage and improve mental health and wellbeing in their workplace.
Take the Next Step
Groups and Organisations
Indivduals
Course Information
Delivery Format
In-person: We can provide this training, face to face anywhere in Australia.
Virtual: Delivered via Zoom / your online platform for staff located anywhere in Australia.
Duration
• 5 hours (for employees)
• 8 hours (for managers)
The managers course is longer due to the extra module.
Training Includes
• Interactive discussions and small group exercises
• Practical, easy to apply tools that can used right away
• Application of tools to scenarios based on everyday challenges
• Reflective exercises
• Lived experience videos
• Opportunities to link new skills directly to participants workplace and role
The course focus is on increasing awareness and strengthening confidence and practical abilities.
What can The Working Mind provide for individuals, teams and your organisation?
Mental Health Awareness and Understanding
Recognize signs of good, declining, and poor mental health in others, and yourself.
Break Down Stigma
Cultivate a safe environment where mental health can be discussed openly in a constructive, supportive and judgement free way.
Strengthen Communication Skills
Develop a shared language to foster open dialogue about mental health between colleagues and within teams.
Improve Resilience
Improve individual resilience through practicing coping strategies in times of stress and equipping managers to support their teams with the same tools and strategies.
Who is The Working Mind for?
The Working Mind is suitable for employees across all roles, team leaders, supervisors and managers. No prior training or knowledge of mental health is needed.
Employees
TWM helps employees build common understanding and real-world skills that strengthen personal and team wellbeing. Participants will learn to:
- Understand what mental health and well-being are
- Recognise the signs of good, declining, and poor mental health in themselves and others
- Engage in constructive, non-judgemental mental health conversations
- Identify stressors and apply coping and self-care strategies
- Build shared understanding and language to make talking about mental health easier across teams
- Use tools that improve individual resilience
- Identify when help support is needed and how to seek it
Managers and Leaders
Manager training includes all the employee material plus an additional module on leadership responsibilities, supporting others and applying the tools and skills as managers in a workplace. Managers and leaders learn to:
- Recognise and respond to signs of mental health concerns in their team
- Communicate about mental health with confidence and sensitivity
- Understand and reduce stigma and barriers to care in the workplace
- Tools, resources and stratergies to support their teams
- Cultivate a psychologically safe, supportive and resilant workplace
- Support team members through challenges while maintaining their own mental health
Course Structure
The course is made up of 4 modules
Module 1
Mental Health Stigma
Examine concepts of mental health and discuss the impacts of stigma on individuals living with mental health or substance use problems.
Module 2
Mental Health in the Workplace
Learn about psychological health and safety. Learn about and use the Mental Health Continuum to identify changes in mental health in yourself and others. Learn how to have conversations about mental health.
Module 3
Stress and Resilience
Explore the impacts of stress on mental health, and practice applying the Big 4 Coping Strategies- simple but proven tools to deal with stress effectively and remain resilient.
Module 4
Supporting Your Team (Managers only)
Practice skills to support team’s mental health and well-being. Review appropriate actions to take in each colour zone of the Mental Health Continuum and to address related to critical incidents and supporting employees.
The Working Mind and Mental Health First Aid are complementary courses for mental health at work
Building Culture
Transforming workplace cultures
Purpose: Build awareness, reduce stigma, and strengthen resilience in the workplace.
Impact: Fosters psychologically safe and supportive workplaces.
Why it Matters: Without cultural change, stigma persists, and mental health challenges can go unnoticed.
Building Capacity
Conversations and pathways to support
Purpose: Provide practical skills to recognise and respond to someone experiencing mental health problems or crises.
Impact: Enables employees to take action when it matters most.
Why it Matters: Without response skills, conversations may not lead to help.
Looking after Mental Health is good for business
Mental Health
1 in 5 Australians experience a mental health problem each year
Burnout and Stress
3 in 5 employees report being burnt out
Workplace Culture
9 in 10 employees believe mental health in the workplace is important
Take the Next Step
Get the knowledge and skills you need to build a psychologically safe workplace
Groups, Workplaces and Organisations
For more information, to discuss your companies needs or to book for your workplace call us on #5444 4171 or email admin@assistfirstaid.com.au