Coercive control is identified as the 'Golden Thread' of family and domestic violence (FDV) and an understanding of it is necessary for anyone who may encounter, or frequently works with people who are experiencing FDV. This training aims to increase the confidence and competence of workers to appropriately respond to disclosures of FDV within a framework of trauma-informed care and practice. The training includes practical information to assist staff and is delivered within a supportive and judgement-free environment.

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This three-day training is designed to support clinicians in the government mental health sector to increase their confidence and competence around working with clients with co-occurring mental health and AOD issues.

During this training, participants will:

• gain an understanding of the factors that can contribute to AOD use
• describe the effects, functionality and categorisation of AOD
• identify the prevalence and impact of co-occurring mental health and AOD issues
• gain practical skills in raising AOD issues
• describe the National Drug Strategy - Harm Minimisation and how harm reduction fits within this
• increase their knowledge of brief motivational interviewing and identify how it can be applied in their role
• understand the concept of lapse/relapse and strategies which may prevent relapse from occurring
• identify referral options to best support the people you work with.

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Maintaining behaviour change over time can be complex and challenging. Even when decisions to change are made with the best of intentions, many everyday resolutions to change behaviours, such as getting fit, eating healthier foods, or reducing alcohol use, are not maintained. Resolution breakdown is common, and a normal part of any change process. Understanding this helps dispel the myth that lapses and relapses are unique to changing AOD-related behaviours.

This training aims to assist the worker to develop skills and confidence to support their clients to maintain AOD-related behaviour change over time by:

• developing an understanding of why behaviour change can be difficult to maintain
• learning strategies that best support the change process and how to implement them.

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Clinicians often report feeling ineffective when working with consumers who may be perpetrators of family and domestic violence (FDV) and are unsure how to respond appropriately. National and state strategies to end violence against women and children refer to ‘perpetrator accountability’, but few understand what this entails. This 3.5-hour intensive training session assists to demystify how to respond effectively when working with those who are identified, or suspected, as perpetrators of FDV. This training includes an exploration of male perpetrator psychopathology and typology to better understand the inner processes of those who abuse. Current masculinities in Australia are considered along with practical applications of non-collusive practice. An emphasis on case noting and documenting is indicated as a primary way in which we can make perpetrator behaviour, and the impact on victim/survivors, visible. This foundational training is designed to prepare diverse workforces as we implement the First Action Plan 2023-2027, making the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children a reality.

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Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a client-centred, guided approach that supports behaviour change by building rapport and working with a person’s own values and concerns that elicit and enhance their motivation to consider change. This two-day program will review the theoretical framework and application of MI before working on core counselling skills and intervention strategies in depth. Participants will be encouraged to work with their own real plays throughout the two days to conceptualise and integrate this key therapeutic intervention for identifying and exploring ambivalence.

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This interactive two-day workshop will provide participants with the knowledge of how to develop, plan, implement and evaluate an Alcohol and Other Drugs Management Plan (AODMP) to address AOD issues at a community or population-based level.

Participants will be provided with:

• a step-by-step process for developing an AODMP
• skills for stakeholder engagement, including facilitation skills
• tools and models for developing an AODMP
• resources and supports to utilise when facilitating the development of an AODMP.

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This workshop is for workers from organisations participating in the WA Naloxone Program (WANP) and are supplying take-home naloxone. The workshop will equip workers with the knowledge and skills to recognise and respond to opioid overdose, administer naloxone, deliver harm reduction messaging, conduct brief education, and supply take home naloxone to people at risk of experiencing and/or witnessing an opioid overdose, while following conditions of the WANP.

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This training explores the link between emotion regulation and the use of AOD. Emotion regulation is the ability to manage and respond to emotional experiences in a socially tolerable way. It includes being able to reduce the intensity or duration of emotion states or changing the expression of the emotion to achieve a positive outcome. Emotion regulation generally increases across the lifespan; however, it is a skill that may require development.

The use of AOD is one of the strategies people may adopt to regulate their emotions, which can be helpful in the short-term, but may not be effective in the long-term. It makes sense that some people who experience issues with AOD may have difficulty managing strong or overwhelming emotions and can have limited strategies to cope.

This training aims to assist the worker to:

• develop an understanding of emotion and emotion regulation
• gain skills to support clients to better identify, understand and manage their emotions
• assist clients with strategies to respond to overwhelming emotions in constructive ways.

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People accessing AOD services often experiencing co-occurring mental health conditions. Working with people with co-occurring mental health and AOD issues is the expectation not the exception. This training will provide further knowledge and skills to support AOD specialist sector workers to more accurately identify, and where appropriate address, the needs of people presenting with co-occurring mental health and AOD issues.

The topics covered will include:

• co-occurring AOD and mental health issues and their prevalence
• guiding principles for working with people presenting with co-occurring issues
• strategies for responding to co-occurring issues
• best-practice approaches including models of care to support better outcomes for clients.

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Module 1: Induction Training 
These two days build on the eLearning prerequisite and introduce best practice approaches for working in the AOD sector. Topics include: the therapeutic alliance, assessment, case formulation and management, problem-solving and goal setting, case notes, treatment and recovery planning, harm reduction, relapse prevention and management, addressing co-occurring mental health and AOD issues, managing client relationships, professional development and supervision.

Module 2: Motivational Interviewing 
This one-day event is equivalent to ST284 Motivational Interviewing – Part 1. Motivational Interviewing is a client-centred, guided approach to helping people make positive changes. This training can also serve as the prerequisite for ST317 Motivational Interviewing – Part 2.

See the calendar below for upcoming training.

The Mental Health Commission offers a suite of free Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) training for health professionals and service providers, as outlined below.

Valuable Conversations Training
Valuable Conversations training for reducing the impact of alcohol use during child-bearing years. Remote or virtual attendance for this event is not suitable.

This training is a two-day event delivered across Western Australia. The target audience for this training is service providers who work with children of childbearing age.

The content covers the following topics:

• reflective Practice as a tool to improve working with community members
• trauma Informed Care and Practice to help recognise why alcohol use may happen during pregnancy
• motivational Interviewing to express partnership, acceptance, compassion and empowerment
• FASD prevention using the National Strategic Action Plan to guide holistic care
• brief Interventions to integrate new knowledge and skills into practice.

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Stakeholder Workshop: FASD prevention with communities
Remote or virtual attendance for this event is not suitable.

This one-day workshop is designed to:

• introduce FASD for community and regional stakeholders
• plan community and/or regional FASD prevention activities 
• build a FASD prevention network  
• promote the Valuable Conversations for reducing the impact of alcohol use during childbearing years training event 
• present FASD prevention funding opportunities. 

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To learn more about alcohol during pregnancy, visit the Alcohol Think Again website.

For enquiries, please contact FASDprevention@mhc.wa.gov.au.